LeadingAge NY Comments on Regulation on Nursing Home Census Reports

LeadingAge NY submitted formal comments on a regulation proposed by the Department of Health (DOH) that would codify the requirement for nursing homes to submit weekly bed census data through the Health Commerce System (HCS). The proposed regulation was published in the Dec. 19, 2018 edition of the State Register.

In our comments, we expressed support for gathering census data on a weekly basis but raised questions and concerns about DOH’s decision to make this a regulatory requirement without making additional informal efforts to increase provider compliance.

DOH’s Dear Administrator Letter (DAL) #09-02, effective April 8, 2009, requires nursing homes to report weekly bed census data electronically to the Department. The DAL specified that these data be reported each week between Wednesday 8 a.m. and Friday 5 p.m. In 2013, via a notice sent through the HCS, DOH informed nursing homes that such data should be reported between Wednesday 12:01 a.m. and the following Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. In the rulemaking, DOH referred to facilities not complying with the requirement, necessitating time-consuming follow-up contacts.

Thanks to those members that provided us with their feedback on the regulations.

Contact: Dan Heim, dheim@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8866