Title of Regulation: 12VAC5-391. Regulations for the Licensure of Hospice (amending 12VAC5-391-10, 12VAC5-391-120).

Statutory Authority: §§ 32.1-12 and 32.1-162.5 of the Code of Virginia.

Effective Date: April 14, 2021.

Agency Contact: Rebekah E. Allen, Senior Policy Analyst, Virginia Department of Health, 9960 Mayland Drive, Suite 401, Richmond, VA 23233, telephone (804) 367-2102, FAX (804) 527-4502, or email regulatorycomment@vdh.virginia.gov.

Summary:

Pursuant to Item 300 F of Chapter 56 of the 2020 Acts of Assembly, Special Session I, the amendment requires every medical care facility licensed by the Virginia Department of Health, excluding nursing homes, to permit a person with a disability who requires assistance as a result of such disability, to be accompanied by a designated support person at any time during which health care services are provided during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

12VAC5-391-10. Definitions.

The following words and terms when used in these regulations shall have the following meaning unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

"Activities of daily living" means bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring, bowel control, bladder control and eating/feeding.

"Administer" means the direct application of a controlled substance, whether by injection, inhalation, ingestion, or any other means, to the body of a patient by (i) a practitioner or by his authorized agent and under his supervision or (ii) the patient at the direction and in the presence of the practitioner as defined in § 54.1-3401 of the Code of Virginia.

"Administrator" means a person designated, in writing, by the governing body as having the necessary authority for the day-to-day management of the hospice program. The administrator must be a member of the hospice staff. The administrator, director of nursing, or another clinical director may be the same individual if that individual is dually qualified.

"Adverse outcome" means the result of drug or health care therapy that is neither intended nor expected in normal therapeutic use and that causes significant, sometimes life-threatening conditions or consequences at some future time. Such potential future adverse outcome may require the arrangement of appropriate follow-up surveillance and perhaps other departures from the usual plan of care.

"Attending physician" means a physician licensed in Virginia, according to Chapter 29 (§ 54.1-2900 et seq.) of Title 54.1 of the Code of Virginia, or licensed in an adjacent state and identified by the patient as having the primary responsibility in determining the delivery of the patient's medical care. The responsibilities of physicians contained in this chapter may be implemented by nurse practitioners or physician assistants as assigned by the supervising physician and within the parameters of professional licensing.

"Available at all times during operating hours" means an individual is available on the premises or by telecommunications.

"Barrier crimes" means certain offenses specified in § 32.1-162.9:1 of the Code of Virginia that automatically bar an individual convicted of those offenses from employment with a hospice program.

"Bereavement service" means bereavement counseling as defined in 42 CFR 418.3.

"Cannabidiol oil" means the same as that term is defined in subsection A of § 54.1-3408.3 of the Code of Virginia.

"Commissioner" means the State Health Commissioner.

"Coordinated program" means a continuum of palliative and supportive care provided to a terminally ill patient and the patient's family, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"Core services" means those services that must be provided by a hospice program. Such services are: (i) nursing services, (ii) physician services, (iii) counseling services, and (iv) medical social services.

"Counseling services" means the provision of bereavement services, dietary services, spiritual and any other counseling services for the patient and family while the person is enrolled in the program.

"Criminal record report" means the statement issued by the Central Criminal Records Exchange, Virginia Department of State Police.

"Designated support person" means a person who is knowledgeable about the needs of a person with a disability and who is designated, orally or in writing, by the individual with a disability, the individual's guardian, or the individual's care provider to provide support and assistance, including physical assistance, emotional support, assistance with communication or decision-making, or any other assistance necessary as a result of the person's disability, to the person with a disability at any time during which health care services are provided.

"Dispense" means to deliver a drug to the ultimate user by or pursuant to the lawful order of a practitioner, including the prescribing and administering, packaging, labeling or compounding necessary to prepare the substance for that delivery as defined in § 54.1-3401 of the Code of Virginia.

"Employee" means an individual who is appropriately trained and performs a specific job function for the hospice program on a full-time or part-time basis with or without financial compensation.

"Governing body" means the individual, group, or governmental agency that has legal responsibility and authority over the operation of the hospice program.

"Home attendant" means a nonlicensed individual performing personal care and environmental services, under the supervision of the appropriate health professional, to a patient in the patient's residence. Home attendants are also known as certified nursing assistants or CNAs, home care aides, home health aides, and personal care aides.

"Hospice" means a hospice as defined in § 32.1-162.1 of the Code of Virginia.

"Hospice facility" means an institution, place, or building as defined in § 32.1-162.1 of the Code of Virginia.

"Inpatient" means the provision of services, such as food, laundry, housekeeping, and staff to provide health or health-related services, including respite and symptom management, to hospice patients, whether in a hospital, nursing facility, or hospice facility.

"Interdisciplinary group" means the group responsible for assessing the health care and special needs of the patient and the patient's family. Providers of special services, such as mental health, pharmacy, and any other appropriate associated health services may also be included on the team as the needs of the patient dictate. The interdisciplinary group is often referred to as the IDG.

"Licensee" means a licensed hospice program provider.

"Medical director" means a physician currently licensed in Virginia, according to Chapter 29 (§ 54.1-2900 et seq.) of Title 54.1 of the Code of Virginia, and responsible for the medical direction of the hospice program.

"Medical record" means a continuous and accurate documented account of services provided to a patient, including the prescription and delivery of the treatment or care.

"Medication error" means one or more violations of the five principles of medication administration: the correct drug to the right patient at the prescribed time in the prescribed dose via the prescribed route.

"Nursing services" means the patient care performed or supervised by a registered nurse according to a plan of care.

"OLC" means the Office of Licensure and Certification of the Virginia Department of Health.

"Operator" means any individual, partnership, association, trust, corporation, municipality, county, local government agency, or any other legal or commercial entity responsible for the day-to-day administrative management and operation of the hospice.

"Palliative care" means treatment directed at controlling pain, relieving other symptoms, and focusing on the special needs of the patient and family as they experience the stress of the dying process. Palliative care means treatment to enhance comfort and improve the quality of a patient's life during the last phase of his life.

"Patient" means a hospice patient as defined in § 32.1-162.1 of the Code of Virginia.

"Patient's family" means a hospice patient's family as defined in § 32.1-162.1 of the Code of Virginia.

"Patient's residence" means the place where the individual or patient makes his home.

"Person" means any individual, partnership, association, trust, corporation, municipality, county, local government agency, or any other legal or commercial entity that operates a hospice.

"Plan of care" means a written plan of services developed by the interdisciplinary group to maximize patient comfort by symptom control to meet the physical, psychosocial, spiritual, and other special needs that are experienced during the final stages of illness, during dying, and bereavement.

"Primary caregiver" means an individual that, through mutual agreement with the patient and the hospice program, assumes responsibility for the patient's care.

"Progress note" means a documented statement contained in a patient's medical record, dated and signed by the person delivering the care, treatment, or service, describing the treatment or services delivered and the effect of the care, treatment, or services on the patient.

"Quality improvement" means ongoing activities designed to objectively and systematically evaluate the quality of care and services, pursue opportunities to improve care and services, and resolve identified problems. Quality improvement is an approach to the ongoing study and improvement of the processes of providing services to meet the needs of patients and their families.

"Separate and distinct entrance" means an entrance to the hospice facility other than the formal public entrance used by patients and family members.

"Staff" means an employee who receives financial compensation.

"Supervision" means the ongoing process of monitoring the skills, competencies, and performance of the individual supervised and providing regular face-to-face guidance and instruction.

"Terminally ill" means a medical prognosis that life expectancy is six months or less if the illness runs its usual course.

"THC-A oil" means the same as that term is defined in subsection A of § 54.1-3408.3 of the Code of Virginia.

"Volunteer" means an employee who receives no financial compensation.

12VAC5-391-120. Hospice facilities.

A. Providers seeking to operate a hospice facility shall comply with the appropriate facility licensing regulation as follows:

1. Facilities with 16 or fewer beds shall be licensed as a hospice facility pursuant to this chapter. Such facilities with six or more beds shall obtain a Certificate of Use and Occupancy with a Use Group designation of I-2; or

2. Facilities with more than 16 beds shall be licensed as a hospital pursuant to 12VAC5-410 or as a nursing facility pursuant to 12VAC5-371. Such facilities shall obtain the applicable Certificate of Public Need prior to the development or construction of the facility.

B. Only patients diagnosed terminally ill shall be admitted to a hospice facility. The facility shall admit only those patients whose needs can be met by the accommodations and services provided by the facility.

C. To the maximum extent possible, care shall be provided in the patient's home. Admission to a hospice facility shall be the decision of the patient in consultation with the patient's physician. No patient shall be admitted to a hospice facility at the discretion of, or for the convenience of, the hospice provider, the primary caregiver, or the family.

D. All hospice providers operating a hospice facility shall use its facility to provide, to the extent possible, respite and symptom management services to all patients in the hospice program needing such services.

E. If the Governor has declared a public health emergency related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), all hospice providers operating a hospice facility shall allow a person with a disability who requires assistance as a result of such disability to be accompanied by a designated support person at any time during which health care services are provided.

1. If the duration of health care services in a hospice facility is anticipated to last more than 24 hours, the person with a disability may designate more than one designated support person. However, no hospice facility shall be required to allow more than one designated support person to be present with a person with a disability at any time.

2. A designated support person shall not be subject to any restrictions on visitation adopted by the hospice facility. However, such designated support person may be required to comply with all reasonable requirements of the hospice facility adopted to protect the health and safety of patients and staff of the hospice facility.

3. Every hospice provider operating a hospice facility shall establish policies applicable to designated support persons and shall:

a. Make such policies available to the public on a website maintained by the hospice facility; and

b. Provide such policies in writing to the patient at such time as health care services are provided.

E. F. No hospice facility shall receive patients for care, palliative treatment, respite, or symptom management services in excess of its licensed bed capacity.

F. G. No hospice facility provider shall add additional patient beds or renovate facility space without first notifying the OLC. OLC notifications must be in writing to the director of the OLC.

G. H. The OLC will not accept any requests for variances to this section.