Title 23, Title 23 and Safety

Patients shall have the right to obtain personal services or to purchase personal needs outside of the facility.

(a) The patient’s right to privacy and confidentiality shall extend to all records pertaining to the patient. Release of any records shall be subject to the patient’s approval except in case of transfer to another health care facility or as otherwise provided by law. (b) The righ…

A patient may manage his or her personal financial affairs or shall be given at least quarterly accounting of financial transactions made on his or her behalf, if written delegation of this responsibility was accepted by the facility for a stipulated period of time and in conform…

If married, patients shall be assured privacy for visits by the spouse; if both are inpatients in the facility, they may share a room unless medically contraindicated per written order of the physician and subject to the availability of accommodations within the facility.

(a) Before transferring a patient to another facility or level of care within a facility, the patient shall be informed of the need for the transfer and of any alternatives to the transfer. (b) A patient shall be transferred or discharged only for medical reasons, or for the pati…

All rights and responsibilities specified in §§ 23-17.5-3, 23-17.5-7, 23-17.5-15, and 23-17.5-17 shall devolve, in order of priority, to a patient’s guardian, next of kin, sponsoring agency(ies) or representative payor (except when the facility itself is the representative payor)…

Each patient shall be offered treatment without discrimination as to sex, race, color, religion, national origin, source of payment, disability, or diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia.

Each patient shall be treated and cared for with consideration, respect, and dignity, and shall be afforded his or her right to privacy to the extent consistent with providing adequate medical care and with efficient administration.

Every nursing home licensed pursuant to this title shall display a copy of the provisions of this chapter and related information in a conspicuous place in each nursing home. At a minimum the display must include the following: (1) A summary of the major provisions of chapter 17.…

Any nursing home which refuses or neglects to post provisions or which violates the requirements of this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor for each violation punishable by a fine of up to five hundred dollars ($500) and/or six (6) months in jail.

The director of the department of health and/or local or state police within their respective jurisdictions, upon receipt of a complaint from any citizen, are empowered to enforce the provisions of this chapter.

The provisions of this chapter are severable, and if any of its provisions shall be held unconstitutional or otherwise invalid by any court of competent jurisdiction, the decision of the court shall not affect or impair any of the remaining provisions.

Every patient who has been a resident of a nursing home which participates in the Rhode Island medical assistance program and has made payments from private funds for at least six (6) months shall, upon depletion of the private funds, be permitted to remain as a resident of the n…

(a) Notice before transfer. Before a resident of a nursing facility is transferred for hospitalization or therapeutic leave, a nursing facility must provide written information to the resident and a family member or legal representative concerning: (1) The provisions of the medic…

(a) Smoke-free environment. Nursing home patients shall have the right to live in a tobacco smoke-free environment. It shall be prohibited for any person other than a nursing home resident to smoke in any nursing home in Rhode Island. It shall be prohibited for any nursing home r…

Any nursing home facility which does not provide air conditioning in every patient room shall provide an air conditioned room or rooms in a residential section or sections of the facility to provide relief to patients when the outdoor temperature exceeds eighty (80) degrees Fahre…

A patient shall have the right to have his or her pain assessed on a regular basis.

Upon request, the patient shall have the right to receive information concerning hospice care, including the benefits of hospice care, the cost, and how to enroll in hospice care.

Each patient shall have the right to choose his or her own physician.

(a) For the purposes of this section “family council” means an organized group of the family members, friends or representatives of facility residents who may meet in private without the presence of facility staff. (b) The role of the family council shall be to address issues aff…

Every nursing home shall be required to reimburse any monies that have been prepaid on behalf of a deceased patient to the nursing home within ninety (90) days of the patient’s date of death. Said reimbursement shall be paid to the person(s), institution or other legal entity who…

(a) Each facility shall have the necessary nursing service personnel (licensed and non-licensed) in sufficient numbers on a twenty-four (24) hour basis, to assess the needs of residents, to develop and implement resident care plans, to provide direct resident care services, and t…

(a) Retroactive application. (1) All fines or penalties incurred prior to January 1, 2026, are hereby forgiven, and any enforcement actions, including fines and penalties, shall commence only for violations occurring on or after January 1, 2026. (b) Compliance determination. (1) …

(a) Each nursing facility shall post its daily direct care nurse staff levels by shift in a public place within the nursing facility that is readily accessible to and visible by residents, employees, and visitors. The posting shall be accurate to the actual number of direct care …

(a) There shall be a master plan of the staffing pattern for providing twenty-four-hour (24) direct care nursing service; for the distribution of direct care nursing personnel for each floor and/or residential area; for the replacement of direct care nursing personnel; and for fo…

The department of labor and training shall provide grants from its workforce development resources to eligible nursing facilities for enhanced training for direct care and support services staff to improve resident quality of care and address the changing healthcare needs of nurs…

(a) For purposes of this section, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise: (1) “Declaration of disaster emergency” means a disaster emergency declared by the governor pursuant to § 30-…

Each patient or his or her representative shall be provided with a copy of this chapter and shall be fully informed, as evidenced by the patient’s or his or her representative’s written acknowledgment, prior to or at the time of admission or during stay, of all rules and regulati…

Each patient shall be informed, in writing, prior to or at the time of admission and during his or her stay, of services available and of related charges, including all charges not covered either under federal and/or state programs, by other third-party payers, or by the facility…

(a) Each patient admitted to a facility shall be and remain under the care of a physician as specified in policies adopted by the governing body. (b) Each patient shall be informed by a physician of his or her medical condition unless medically contraindicated, as documented by a…

If it is proposed that a patient be used in any human experimentation project, the patient shall first be thoroughly informed in writing of the proposal, and shall be offered the right to refuse to participate in the project. A patient who, after being thoroughly informed, wishes…

Patients shall be encouraged and assisted to voice their grievances through a documented grievance mechanism established by the facility, involving patients, staff, and relatives of patients, which will insure patients’ freedom from restraints, interference, coercion, discriminat…

(a) Patients shall not be subject to mental and physical abuse, and shall be free from chemical and (except in emergencies) physical restraints except as authorized in writing by a physician for a specified and limited period of time for the protection of the patient. (b) Restrai…