(a)  By January 1, 2000, all skilled nursing facilities, as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 1250, intermediate care facilities, as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 1250, and nursing facilities, as defined in subdivision (k) of Section 1250, shall use a standard admission agreement developed and adopted by the department. This standard agreement shall comply with all applicable state and federal laws.

(b)  (1)  No facility shall alter the standard agreement unless so directed by the department.

(2)  The department may develop an abbreviated admission agreement for patients whose length of stay is anticipated to be 14 days or less. This abbreviated agreement may be developed to coordinate with the standard admission agreement. If the patient’s stay exceeds 14 days, the nursing facility shall obtain agreement to the remainder of the standard admission agreement.

(3)  Nothing in this section shall prevent a skilled nursing facility, an intermediate care facility, or a nursing facility from distributing written explanations of facility-specific rules and procedures, provided that the written explanations are not included or incorporated in, or attached to the standard admission agreement, nor signed by the resident or his or her representative.

(c)  Subdivisions (a) and (b) shall apply to all new admissions to skilled nursing facilities, intermediate care facilities, and nursing facilities that occur after December 31, 1999.

(d)  By January 1, 2000, the department shall consolidate and develop one comprehensive Patients’ Bill of Rights that includes the provisions contained in Chapter 3.9 (commencing with Section 1599), the regulatory resident rights for skilled nursing facilities under Section 72527 of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations, the regulatory resident rights for intermediate care facilities under Section 73523 of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations, and the rights afforded residents under Section 483.10 et seq. of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

This comprehensive Patients’ Bill of Rights shall be a mandatory attachment to all skilled nursing facility, intermediate care facility, and nursing facility contracts as specified in Section 1599.74 of this chapter.

(e)  By January 1, 2000, the department shall ensure the translation of the Patients’ Bill of Rights described in subdivision (d) into Spanish, Chinese, and other languages as needed to provide copies of the Patients’ Bill of Rights to members of any ethnic group that represents at least 1 percent of the state’s skilled nursing facility, intermediate care facility, and nursing facility population.

(f)  Translated copies of the Patients’ Bill of Rights shall be made available to all long-term health care facilities in the state, including skilled nursing facilities, intermediate care facilities, and nursing facilities. It shall be the responsibility of the long-term health care facilities to duplicate and distribute the translated versions of the Patients’ Bill of Rights with admissions agreements, when appropriate.

(g)  Nothing in this section is intended to change existing statutory or regulatory requirements governing the care provided to nursing facility residents. Similarly, nothing in this section is intended to create a new cause of action against a skilled nursing facility, an intermediate care facility, or a nursing facility as defined in Section 1250, related to its compliance with those existing statutory or regulatory requirements governing the care provided to nursing facility residents.

(Repealed and added by Stats. 1997, Ch. 631, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 1998.)