Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §5107-I is enacted to read:

§5107-I.__Quality improvement committees

The department shall establish quality improvement committees, referred to in this section as "committees," to review the provision of home care services.__The department shall require the participation of all contracting agencies that provide statewide coordinating services for consumers receiving home- based care, Medicaid waiver for home- and community-based care, adults with disabilities and private duty nursing services and any other program of home care for the elderly or disabled funded in whole or in part with state funds.__The committee membership must also include representatives of consumers, consumer advocates, including the long-term care ombudsman program, health care and service providers and representatives from each area agency on aging.

1.__Chair; meetings. The members of each committee shall choose a chair, who may not be a representative of the home care coordination agencies.__Each committee must meet at least quarterly.

2.__Duties.__The duties of the committees include reviewing, evaluating and reporting on services provided to consumers__of home care services.__The services to be reviewed include care planning, implementation and modification, monitoring, assessments and reassessments, continuity of care and consumer information, advocacy and support services.

3.__Annual report.__By March 1st each year, each committee shall report to the department, the Long-term Care Steering Committee established pursuant to section 5107-B and the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human services matters concerning the committee's work during the year, problems with the coordination of home care services and the actions taken to resolve problems.

4.__Rulemaking.__The department shall adopt rules to implement this section.__Rules adopted pursuant to this section are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter II-A.

Sec. 2. PL 1999, c. 731, Pt. BBBB, §15, first ¶ is amended to read: