(a) Notwithstanding Section 1566.45 or any other provision of law, a residential facility that provides care to adults may obtain a waiver from the department for the purpose of allowing a resident who has been diagnosed as terminally ill by his or her physician and surgeon to remain in the facility, or allowing a person who has been diagnosed as terminally ill by his or her physician and surgeon to become a resident of the facility if that person is already receiving hospice services and would continue to receive hospice services without disruption if he or she became a resident, when all of the following conditions are met:

(1) The facility agrees to retain the terminally ill resident, or accept as a resident the terminally ill person, and to seek a waiver on behalf of the individual, provided the individual has requested the waiver and is capable of deciding to obtain hospice services.

(2) The terminally ill resident, or the terminally ill person to be accepted as a resident, has obtained the services of a hospice certified in accordance with federal medicare conditions of participation and licensed pursuant to Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 1725) or Chapter 8.5 (commencing with Section 1745).

(3) The facility, in the judgment of the department, has the ability to provide care and supervision appropriate to meet the needs of the terminally ill resident, or the terminally ill person to be accepted as a resident, and is in substantial compliance with regulations governing the operation of residential facilities that provide care to adults.

(4) The hospice has agreed to design and provide for care, services, and necessary medical intervention related to the terminal illness as necessary to supplement the care and supervision provided by the facility.

(5) An agreement has been executed between the facility and the hospice regarding the care plan for the terminally ill resident, or the terminally ill person to be accepted as a resident. The care plan shall designate the primary caregiver, identify other caregivers, and outline the tasks the facility is responsible for performing and the approximate frequency with which they shall be performed. The care plan shall specifically limit the facility’s role for care and supervision to those tasks authorized for a residential facility under this chapter.

(6) The facility has obtained the agreement of those residents who share the same room with the terminally ill resident, or any resident who will share a room with the terminally ill person to be accepted as a resident, to allow the hospice caregivers into their residence.

(b) At any time that the licensed hospice, the facility, or the terminally ill resident determines that the resident’s condition has changed so that continued residence in the facility will pose a threat to the health and safety of the terminally ill resident or any other resident, the facility may initiate procedures for a transfer.

(c) A facility that has obtained a hospice waiver from the department pursuant to this section, or an Adult Residential Facility for Persons with Special Health Care Needs (ARFPSHN) licensed pursuant to Article 9 (commencing with Section 1567.50), need not call emergency response services at the time of a life-threatening emergency if the hospice agency is notified instead and all of the following conditions are met:

(1) The resident is receiving hospice services from a licensed hospice agency.

(2) The resident has completed an advance directive, as defined in Section 4605 of the Probate Code, requesting to forego resuscitative measures.

(3) The facility has documented that facility staff have received training from the hospice agency on the expected course of the resident’s illness and the symptoms of impending death.

(d) Nothing in this section is intended to expand the scope of care and supervision for a residential facility, as defined in this chapter, that provides care to adults nor shall a facility be required to alter or extend its license in order to retain a terminally ill resident, or allow a terminally ill person to become a resident of the facility, as authorized by this section.

(e) Nothing in this section shall require any care or supervision to be provided by the residential facility beyond that which is permitted in this chapter.

(f) Nothing in this section is intended to expand the scope of life care contracts or the contractual obligation of continuing care retirement communities as defined in Section 1771.

(g) The department shall not be responsible for the evaluation of medical services provided to the resident by the hospice and shall have no liability for the independent acts of the hospice.

(h) The department, in consultation with the State Fire Marshal, shall develop and expedite implementation of regulations related to residents who have been diagnosed as terminally ill who remain in the facility and who are nonambulatory that ensure resident safety but also provide flexibility to allow residents to remain in the least restrictive environment.

(i) Nothing in this section shall be construed to relieve a licensed residential facility that provides care to adults of its responsibility to do both of the following:

(1) Notify the fire authority having jurisdiction of the presence of a bedridden resident in the facility as required pursuant to subdivision (e) of Section 1566.45.

(2) Obtain and maintain a fire clearance from the fire authority having jurisdiction.

(j) The requirement in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) to obtain a waiver, and the requirement in paragraph (1) of subdivision (i) shall not apply to a facility licensed as an ARFPSHN pursuant to Article 9 (commencing with Section 1567.50).

(Amended by Stats. 2010, Ch. 211, Sec. 1. (AB 2629) Effective January 1, 2011.)