The most recent OBRA updates in November were substantial. Content has been completely re-arranged in presentation, lots of new changes and even some completely new tags. We could see most all of them coming and even have already implemented P and P’s but the one that surprises me the most is F319. It states that if a facility has residents with mental and/or substance abuse disorders then they must have staff with the skill set necessary to provide care to these populations. The reason it surprised me is because this isn’t our resident that we serve. We usually don’t take this population because we in fact, aren’t able to meet their needs.
This new regulation tells me that this population is being admitted more and more to SNF’s and now if facilities admit them, they need to be able to provide the services that they need. It’s not really new but is being reiterated and given attention. This is to be in place and will be implemented by November 28th, 2017 (Phase 2) This new Ftag is in place to meet the growing need for mentally ill which is projected to be even more needed by 2025. New regulations are always in response to a need.