(a) The department shall by regulation provide for a centralized registry to facilitate the licensing or certification of entities and individual service providers, the authorization of payments to entities or individual service providers by the department, and the employment of individuals by entities and individual service providers.
(b) Except for the name of each victim being redacted before the information is placed on the registry, the registry shall consist of the following information for an entity or individual service provider, an applicant on behalf of an entity or individual service provider, or an employee or unsupervised volunteer of an entity or individual service provider:
(1) decisions, orders, judgments, and adjudications finding that the applicant, employee, or unsupervised volunteer committed
(A) abuse, neglect, or exploitation under AS 47.10, AS 47.24, AS 47.62, or a substantially similar provision in another jurisdiction; or
(B) medical assistance fraud under AS 47.05.210 or a substantially similar provision in another jurisdiction;
(2) orders under a state statute or a substantially similar provision in another jurisdiction that a license or certification of the entity or individual service provider to provide services related to the health, safety, and welfare of persons was denied, suspended, revoked, or conditioned.
(c) As a condition for applying for licensure or certification of an entity or individual service provider, or for payment to an entity or individual service provider by the department, an applicant must agree to submit timely to the registry the information required under this section relating to the entity, any individual, the applicant, employees, and unsupervised volunteers of the entity or individual service provider.
(d) Within 24 hours of a court decision, order, judgment, or adjudication that an entity, individual service provider, or employee or unsupervised volunteer of an entity or individual service provider committed an act listed under (b) of this section, the entity, individual service provider, or employee or unsupervised volunteer of an entity or individual service provider shall report the court action to the department.
(e) Within 24 hours of receiving notice of an allegation that an employee, unsupervised volunteer, or former employee or unsupervised volunteer of an entity or individual service provider committed an act listed under (b) of this section within the past 10 years, the entity or individual service provider shall report the allegation to the department.
(f) The department shall prescribe by regulation the form or format by which an applicant shall submit required information to the registry.
(g) Notwithstanding any contrary provision of law, the department may also submit information described in this section to the registry. An entity or individual that is exempt from department licensure or certification and that does not receive money from the department for its services may voluntarily submit information described in this section to the department for placement in the registry.
(h) Information contained in the registry is confidential and is not subject to public inspection and copying under AS 40.25.110 - 40.25.125. However, information contained in the registry may be released to entities, individual service providers, and governmental agencies authorized and in a manner provided under this section and regulations adopted under this section.
(i) A person is presumed to be acting in good faith and is immune from civil and criminal liability if the person
(1) makes a report of medical assistance fraud, abuse, neglect, or exploitation;
(2) submits information to the registry; or
(3) fails to hire or retain an employee or unsupervised volunteer because the employee or unsupervised volunteer is included in the registry.
(j) A person about whom information is placed in the registry shall be notified of the placement by the department and may request the department to delete or modify the information to correct inaccuracies. The department shall investigate the request and make necessary deletions or modifications if the department finds no relationship between the information placed in the registry and the risk of harm to the entity's clientele.
Section: Previous 47.05.300 47.05.310 47.05.320 47.05.330 47.05.340 47.05.350 47.05.390 NextLast modified: November 15, 2016