Modifying certain regulatory requirements and standards for nursing +facilities licensing purposes and certain provisions governing licensed home +care agencies; requiring the commissioner of health to make available to +nursing homes information on facility specific standards waivers granted and +upon request to extend waivers to other similarly situated facilities upon determination of facility satisfaction of certain terms and +conditions of the waivers; exempting facilities from waiver request requirements for +room furniture or equipment in response to resident specific requests +under certain conditions; requiring periodic checking of incontinent residents +according to specific time intervals written in resident care plans, requiring +physician authorization of certain longer intervals, exception; requiring +facilities under the contractual alternative demonstration project to +participate in the quality improvement program established by the commissioner of human +services or to submit information on the quality improvement process used for commissioner approval, reporting requirement; requiring the +commissioner of health to pursue changes in federal policy mandating the imposition +of federal sanctions without providing an opportunity to correct deficiencies +issued to a facility; excluding certain home care agencies from supplemental +nursing services agency regulations; requiring the commissioner to convene a +working group of home care providers and other interested individuals to +develop a summary of federal home care agency regulations and laws hampering +the flexibility and high quality of services, requiring the commissioner +to share the summary with the legislature, other states and national groups +advocating for state interests and to work with federal officials to achieve +necessary law changes; requiring the commissioner to review with the working group +the current licensure process for home care providers and evaluate the +continued appropriateness of the process, requiring recommendations to the +legislature by a certain date (Ch. 55, 2003)