Sec. 6. Report on improvements to nursing facility inspection activities. The Department of Human Services, in consultation with the Maine Health Care Association, the State Board of Nursing, a statewide organization providing legal services to older persons, a statewide organization providing information and advocacy services for older persons and the long-term care ombudsman program, shall by January 15, 2004 present a report to the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services on initiatives to improve and simplify the State's nursing facility inspection process. The report must include specific recommendations and, as appropriate, propose draft legislation regarding the following:

1. Paperwork reduction;

2. Elimination of duplication in nursing facility resident medication reviews by both registered nurses and registered pharmacists;

3. Guidelines and limitations on the use of mandated incident reports against providers during the survey process;

4. The use of civil monetary penalties to fund education and training programs;

5. Ways to maximize the use of common space in facilities that have both residential care and nursing facility residents;

6. Improvements to the existing informal dispute resolution process to ensure timeliness and impartiality and to increase the proportion of disputes resolved at the state level without litigation;

7. Fostering more positive and productive provider-department communications and relations and promoting department responsiveness to legislative policy directives; and

8. Recommendations on any other issues considered appropriate by the parties preparing the report under this section.

Sec. 7. Study and report on revised mechanism for assessing cognitive needs. The Department of Human Services shall invite the Maine Health Care Association, the long-term care ombudsman program, the Maine Alzheimer's Association and other interested parties to form a working group to undertake a study and prepare a report for the