So, you think what it has to be an ALF administrator? | AR

As the administrator of an assisted living facility, you are entrusted with an enormous amount of responsibility. Think about it; you are ultimately responsible for EVERYTHING that happens in the facility, clinical care, food service, census, it’s on your shoulders. It takes a dedicated, detail-oriented person to run a community, in addition to the following regulation, provided by ADHS as to who can be an ALF administrator:

504.2 Required Staffing

504.2.1 Administrator

504.2.1.1 Each facility must designate a full-time (40 hours per week) administrator. The administrator must be on the premises during normal business hours. The administrator has responsibility for the daily operation of the facility. Correspondence from the Office of Long Term Care to the facility will be through the administrator. Sharing of administrators between assisted living facilities and other types of long-term care facilities is permitted pursuant to Section 504.2.1.4.

1. The administrator shall not leave the premises housing the assisted living facility during the day tour of duty without first designating an employee who will be responsible for the management of the facility during the administrator’s absence.
2. The facility administrator shall notify the OLTC in writing if the administrator will be absent from the facility for seven (7) or more consecutive calendar days;
3. Each administrator will provide to the OLTC, on an annual basis, a copy of his or her current administrator certification. This submission must be every time when the facility seeks licensure, renewal of licensure, or upon change of ownership.

504.2.1.2 All certifications must be current as required by the certification agency. This submission shall be made each time the facility seeks licensure, renewal of licensure, or upon a change of administrators.

504.2.1.3 The administrator must have the following minimum qualifications:

1. Must be at least 21 years of age;
2. Must have a high school diploma or have a GED;
3. Must have the ability and agree to comply with these regulations;
4. Must successfully complete a criminal background check pursuant to Ark. Code Ann. § 20-33-201, et seq. and in accordance with the Rules and Regulations for Conducting Criminal Record Checks for Employees of Long Term Care Facilities;
5. Must not have been convicted, or have a substantiated report, of abusing, neglecting, or mistreating persons, or misappropriation of resident property. The adult abuse register maintained by the Department of Human Services, Division of Aging and Adult Services shall be checked prior to employment;
6. Must have no prior conviction pursuant to Ark. Code Ann. § 20- 10-401, or relating to the operation of long-term care;
7. Must be certified as an Assisted Living Facility Administrator through a certification program approved by the OLTC or must be enrolled in a certification program with an expected completion date of within twelve (12) months. Until certification requirements for an Assisted Living Facility Administrator are in place, certification as a Residential Care Facility Administrator or licensure as a Nursing Home Administrator may be used.

504.2.1.4

Full time means forty (40) hours per week during normal business hours. Part-time means twenty (20) hours or more, but less than forty (40) hours, during normal business hours. When a structure or building houses more than one type of long-term care facility, a single administrator may be employed for all the long-term care programs housed within that structure, building, or premises, provided:

1. The person employed as an administrator must meet the qualifications for, and be currently licensed or certified as, an administrator for each type of long-term care facility for which he or she will act as administrator;
2. A second administrator shall be employed part-time when:
3. The total number of beds for all long-term care programs within the facility is more than seventy (70), and
4. The number of beds for each long-term care program within the facility is more than twenty (20) per program;
5. A second administrator shall be employed full-time when:
6. The total number of beds for all long-term care programs within the facility is more than seventy (70), and
7. The number of beds for each long-term care program within the facility is more than forty (40) per program.

Pro Tip:

• In relation to 504.2.1.1 A, it would be a good idea to create a ‘manager on duty’ tree to designate who is responsible when you are not in the community.