Summary: Health care providers; definition. Amendsthe definition of "health care provider" to include home care organizations and hospice.

Summary: Public Guardianship and Conservator Ombudsman Office. Directs the Commissioner of the Department for Aging and Rehabilitation Services to establish a Public Guardianship and Conservator Ombudsman Office within the Department to (i) assist members of the public in understanding the public guardianship process and make available to the public information regarding public guardianship, including the rights and responsibilities of public guardians and individuals subject to public guardianship; (ii) provide information to the public regarding local and regional public guardian and conservator programs in the Commonwealth; (iii) receive complaints regarding public guardians, provide referrals to public and private agencies and other entities for assistance in resolving the issue giving rise to the complaint, and provide information regarding how to navigate the complaint process; and (iv) collect data regarding the number of inquiries and complaints received, the types of assistance provided, and the disposition of the matter, if known. The bill directs the Department to make information regarding the Office available on its website and to disseminate information regarding the Office to all adults for whom a public guardian is appointed and all adults residing in various congregate care settings.

Summary: Public guardian and conservator program; decennialreview of staff-to-client ratios; report. Directs the Departmentof Aging and Rehabilitative Services (the Department) to decennially review the ideal range of staff-to-client ratios for local and regionalpublic guardian and conservator programs in the Commonwealth and make recommendations as to whether the ratio should be revised toensure that public guardians are able to meet their obligations toincapacitated persons. The bill requires the Department to reportits findings and conclusions to the Governor and the General Assemblyby December 1 of each year in which such review is performed anddirects the Department to complete the first decennial review andsubmit its report by December 1, 2022.

Summary: Adult protective services; central registry.Creates a central registry of substantiated complaints of adult abuse,neglect, and exploitation to be maintained by the Department forAging and Rehabilitative Services. The bill establishes (i) investigation requirements for local departments of social services related toreports of adult abuse, neglect, and exploitation; (ii) record retentionand disclosure requirements for the Department for Aging and RehabilitativeServices and local departments of social services; (iii) notice requirementsrelated to findings by local departments and central registry entries;and (iv) an appeals process to contest the findings of a local departmentrelated to substantiated reports of adult abuse, neglect, or exploitation.

Summary: Practice of physician assistants. Removes the requirement that physician assistants appointed as medical examiners practice as part of a patient care team. For hospice program licensing, the bill adds physician assistants to the list of hospice personnel who may be part of a medically directed interdisciplinary team. The bill removes a reference to physician assistants in the definition of patient care team podiatrist. Finally, the bill permits physician assistants working in the field of orthopedics as part of a patient care team to utilize fluoroscopy for guidance of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, provided other requirements are met.