Ohio State Nursing Home Laws & Regulations

In the state of Ohio, nursing home laws and regulations are defined by Ohio administrative codes of the Ohio Department of Health. There are a large number of regulations associated with running a nursing home, including the size of rooms and how many hours of care a resident must receive each day. Consult an attorney if you have issues or complaints regarding a specific nursing home.

Residents and Beds

• The number of residents and beds available is determined by the amount of space in the building. In buildings erected prior to December 22, 1964, each single-person room shall have a minimum of 80 square feet of living space for the resident. For rooms with an occupancy of two or more, residents shall each have a minimum of 70 square feet of living space. Buildings built after December 22, 1964, shall have 100 square feet of living space per single-occupancy room and 80 square feet of living space for two or more occupants per room.

Personnel

• Each nursing home must be staffed with an administrator, a registered nurse as director of nursing and enough staff to provide a minimum of 2 3/4 hours of direct care for each resident every day. Regulations specify that on a daily basis two hours of care is to be provided by nurse's aides and two-tenths of an hour is to be provided by registered nurses.

Resident Assessments

• Annual assessments must be performed on each resident by health care professionals and documented appropriately. Prior to admission in a nursing home, cardiovascular, vital signs, pulmonary, nutritional, psycho-social and mental assessments must be performed on the admitting resident. Based on the assessments, the nursing home is required to furnish all appropriate medical equipment or furniture necessary for the care and well-being of the resident.

Resident Reports

• When a resident's health status changes, the nursing home administrator or designee must immediately report this to the resident, resident's physician and resident's authorized representative. This includes changes due to failing health, improper treatments, smoke inhalation or accidents. Death of a resident must be reported within 24 hours of the event. All health status changes and deaths must be documented.

Restrictive Devices

• According to the state of Ohio Department of Health, "The nursing home shall not use a physical or chemical restraint or isolation for punishment, incentive or inconvenience." If restraint of a resident becomes necessary, the attending physician must first personally examine the resident, explore alternatives to restraints and consult with a health care team regarding options for the resident. Written consent for a restraint is required from the resident or authorized representative of the resident.