The Senate Health and Human Services Committee advanced Senate Bill 37, a department‑requested measure that would make quality assurance programs mandatory at licensed residential care facilities and require that results of certain DHHS investigations and life‑safety surveys be posted publicly at the facility.

Kate Littman, the majority policy director introducing the bill for Sen. Pearl, outlined statutory changes across several RSAs, saying section 1 would revise RSA 151:5‑c to make quality assurance programs mandatory for licensed residential care facilities and that the bill would amend RSA 151:6 and RSA 151:6‑a to expand the types of facilities whose investigations and life‑safety inspection results must be posted. Littman said the change aligns references in the patients’ bill of rights from "hospital" to "facility."

Kelly Keith, licensing unit chief at DHHS’s Bureau of Licensing and Certification, said the department supports the bill and described its purpose as increasing transparency and patient safety while preserving confidentiality for quality‑assurance meeting minutes. "The intent of this bill is to ensure patient safety and well‑being by requiring transparency of healthcare facilities to improve patient care and outcomes and reduce adverse events," Keith told the committee.

Several advocacy groups and oversight officials supported the bill. Susan Buxton, the state long‑term care ombudsman, said the change would give consumers better access to inspection and complaint outcomes at assisted living and other residential settings; she highlighted that federal Medicare/Medicaid rules already make nursing home inspections public but that assisted living and similar facilities are currently less transparent.

Hospital and industry representatives sought clarifications and raised implementation concerns. Ben Bradley of the New Hampshire Hospital Association said hospitals already comply with CMS quality and transparency requirements and asked the department to avoid duplication for hospitals that have "deemed" CMS status. He and other speakers asked the committee to avoid creating unnecessary regulatory burdens for accredited providers.

A committee amendment was offered to ensure internal wording matched throughout the bill: the word "hospital" in one line was replaced with "facility." The amendment was adopted and the committee voted "ought to pass as amended" by consent.

The bill would make several targeted statutory changes (as presented at the hearing) including mandatory quality assurance committees, required posting of investigation results and life‑safety notices to correct, and uniform language in the patients’ bill of rights. The department said meeting minutes and other privileged quality‑assurance materials would remain confidential; posted items would be the publicly releasable results of investigations and inspections.