Litigation

NEW LEGISLATION AIMS TO REFORM ILLINOIS NURSING HOMES

By Mark P. Loftus, Esq.

The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin recently ran an article by Allision Petty about Illinois Senate Bill 326, which calls for significant reforms to be instituted in Illinois Nursing Homes. The legislation, no doubt prodded by a string of articles in the Chicago Tribune which described widespread physical and sexual abuse at Illinois nursing homes, is expected to be signed very soon by Governor Quinn.

Some of the more important provisions of the bill include:

- increasing the number of hours of nursing care provided each day to patients from 2.5 hours to 3.8 hours;

- requiring hospitals to initiate criminal background checks on mobile patients between 18 and 70 who are being transferred to nursing homes for the first time;

- requiring written consents from patients or their representatives before psychotropic drugs can be used in treatment.

Elder Advocate groups, the Governor's Nursing Home Task Force and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan all contributed to the new legislation.

Full post as published by Illinois Lawyer Blog on June 07, 2010 (boomark / email).