Georgia nursing home responsiveness requirements

Facility administrators, managers and employees, plus a list of other named professionals, who have reasonable cause to believe a current or former resident was abused or exploited in a long-term care facility must report immediately by telephone or in person to the Department of Community Health and also to law enforcement or the prosecuting attorney, and must file a written report with the Department within 24 hours of that initial report.

Any of the following people who have reasonable cause to believe that any resident or former resident has been abused or exploited while residing in a long-term care facility shall immediately make a report as described in subsection (d) of this Code section by telephone or in person to the department and shall make the report to the appropriate law enforcement agency or prosecuting attorney

Every nursing home must have an adequate arrangement in place for medical and dental emergencies.

Each home shall have an adequate arrangement for medical and dental emergencies.

To qualify as a licensed nursing home at all, a facility must have a standing agreement with a physician and a dentist who will be available for any medical or dental emergency and who are responsible for general medical and dental supervision of the home.

has a satisfactory agreement with a physician and dentist who will be available for any medical and/or dental emergency and who will be responsible for the general medical and dental supervision of the home

Each patient must remain under the continuing care of a physician who visits at least every 30 days after admission and reviews the total program of care at each visit for the first 90 days; an alternate visit schedule is allowed after day 90 only if the attending physician documents the justification in the medical record.

Each patient shall be under the continuing care of a physician who sees the patient at least once every thirty (30) days following admission.

At least one nurse - registered, licensed undergraduate, or licensed practical - must be on duty and in charge of all nursing activities during every eight-hour shift.

There shall be at least one nurse, registered, licensed undergraduate, licensed on duty and in charge of all nursing activities during each eight-hour shift.

A registered nurse must be employed full time as director of nursing services and may not also serve as the administrator.

A registered nurse shall be employed full time as director of nursing services. She shall not also be the administrator.

Georgia imposes its own staffing floor of 2.0 hours of direct nursing care per patient per 24-hour period, with not less than one RN or LPN for every seven total nursing personnel required; dining assistants may not be counted toward that minimum.

A minimum of 2.0 hours of direct nursing care per patient in a 24-hour period must be provided. For every seven (7) total nursing personnel required, there shall be not less than one registered nurse or licensed practical nurse employed.

On reasonable request by a patient or a visitor, the nursing home must provide privacy for conversation and consultation.

In response to a reasonable request by a patient or visitor, privacy shall be afforded for conversation and/or consultations.

A public telephone must be located near the lobby, and at least one telephone must be arranged so a wheelchair user can reach it.

A public telephone shall be located near the lobby. At least one telephone shall be arranged to be convenient for a wheelchair user.

A long-term care facility must notify residents and their representatives or legal surrogates by 5:00 P.M. the next calendar day after a single confirmed COVID-19 or other designated airborne infection, or after three or more residents or staff develop new-onset respiratory symptoms within hours of each other, with cumulative updates at least weekly and no personally identifiable information.

Inform its residents and their representatives or legal surrogates by 5:00 P.M. the next calendar day following the occurrence of either a single confirmed infection of COVID-19 or another airborne infectious disease

Each patient's medical record, which must be kept at the nurses' station while active, has to carry the name, address and telephone number of the patient's physician and of the responsible party to contact in an emergency.

the name, address and telephone number of physician; the name, address and telephone number of the responsible party to contact in emergency

Every patient must be furnished a suitable signaling device as part of the required individual room equipment.

Each patient shall have a suitable signaling device.

Each nursing unit must have a nurses' station containing a nurses' call system, and that station may be no more than 120 feet from the entrance of the most remote room it serves.

A nurses' station shall be provided in each nursing unit. It shall contain a nurses' call system, charting desk and supplies, medicine storage, lavatory with soap, towels and towel dispenser, preparation area and a refrigerator.

Georgia has no QAPI rule; the nearest state analog requires each home to maintain an organized professional staff (at least one physician as chief of staff, one dentist and one registered nurse) that operates under bylaws, meets at least semiannually, develops and reviews patient care policies, advises administration on patient care, and keeps minutes available for Department inspection.

There shall be an organized professional staff, with one physician designated as chief of staff. The professional staff shall consist of at least one physician, one dentist and one registered nurse.