CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Health officials say most recommendations about private nursing homes, made by the Island's auditor general four years ago, will be implemented by February.
Speaking before a meeting of the standing committee on public accounts on Tuesday, Health P.E.I. CEO Denise Lewis Fleming said the department plans to be in compliance with five of seven recommendations made in the 2016 report by next month.
"We are striving to be fully compliant with all recommendations by December 2020 at the latest," Lewis Fleming said.
An auditor general's update on the recommendations last winter found that Health P.E.I. had only implemented two of the seven recommendations. These related to establishing review procedures for monthly claims submitted to private long-term care homes and providing annual reports on the Long-Term Care Subsidization Program.
The 2016 report also recommended case audits in accordance with the Long-Term Care Subsidization Act regulations. Lewis Fleming said 30 case audits are now conducted annually and that a report on these audits will be made publicly available. The status of this recommendation is currently being reviewed by the auditor general but is considered complete by Health P.E.I.
The 2016 report also recommended periodic reviews of trust accounts of long-term care residents and maintaining documentation of the income of these residents. Lewis Fleming said these recommendations are slated to be implemented by February.
The two remaining recommendations related to paying transportation expenses for subsidized residents and conducting annual reviews of all subsidized residents. Lewis Fleming acknowledged that transportation expenses were inconsistently applied across P.E.I.
"In Queens County, the transportation expenses were handled in accordance with the act, while residents of Prince County and Kings were still subject to the practice on medical transportation that existed under the old regional health structure," Lewis Fleming said.
Lewis Fleming said the department currently pays transportation expenses for residents of all private manors, but said the policies related to public manors need to be clarified. Some dental appointments, for example, are not considered an insured medical service under existing regulations.
Annual assessments of subsidized residents have also been hampered by staffing restrictions. Lewis Fleming said new regulations would likely reduce the amount of time it takes staff to complete the assessments.
Auditor general Jane MacAdam is expected to reveal her assessment of Health P.E.I.’s progress on the 2016 recommendations in her 2020 report. This report will be released later this winter.