Private nursing homes, hospitals and other healthcare providers could be facing a cumulative annual tab of $1.3 billion if a proposed federal bill aimed at protecting workers from violence becomes law.
That hefty price tag would be the cost of compliance — after an estimated $2.7 billion outlay to comply the first two years, the Congressional Budget Office estimated. Its report on the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act (H.R. 1309) was issued Oct. 9.
The CBO also forecast the measure would cost public facilities at least $100 million in the first two years and $55 million annually thereafter.
Violence against workers in long-term care facilities can occur in many forms, including at the hands of residents, their family members, other visitors and domestic partners.
The legislation would require the Secretary of Labor to issue a final rule requiring healthcare and social services employers to develop and implement a comprehensive plan for protecting workers and other personnel from workplace violence.
If the bill is passed, skilled nursing facilities and hospitals would be required to comply or risk a penalty for non-compliance with new OSHA standards. That penalty applies only to states that have not adopted the federal OSHA standard and that don’t cover public employees.
Requirements would include: providing annual staff training, investigating violent incidents, developing violence prevention plans, maintaining and retaining records for at least five years, and reporting and evaluating information.
Introduced by Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) in February, the legislation was approved by the House Committee on Education and Labor in June. It also was referred to the House Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means committees.
From the November 2019 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
