(a)  Under the authority granted to the director in § 23-1-21 and in addition to any other statutory authority, whenever the director determines that there is a deficiency in a nursing facility that constitutes immediate jeopardy to health and safety of a resident or residents, the director may take the following actions:

(1)  Appoint an independent quality monitor, at the facility’s expense, to conduct periodic inspections to assess the efforts made by the nursing facility to achieve compliance with state and federal regulations governing nursing facilities that participate in the Medicare and medical assistance programs and to report its findings to the director;

(2)  Require the nursing facility to engage, at the facility’s expense, an independent quality consultant to advise and assist the nursing facility’s management to achieve and maintain compliance with state and federal regulations governing nursing facilities that participate in the Medicare and medical assistance programs and to develop and implement the nursing facility’s quality improvement program; and/or

(3)  Require the nursing facility to engage, at the facility’s expense, a temporary manager to assist the nursing facility to achieve and maintain compliance with state and federal regulations governing nursing facilities that participate in the Medicare and medical assistance programs and to implement the nursing facility’s quality improvement program.

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(b)  The appointment of a state quality monitor, and ordering the facility to hire an independent quality consultant or temporary manager are sanctions that may be in addition to or in lieu of other sanctions imposed by the state.

(c)  Any state appointed quality monitor, or quality consultant or temporary manager hired by the nursing facility may not be employees of the department.

(d)  For purposes of this section, “temporary manager” means any person, corporation, or other entity, as required to be hired by the department to provide management services that assist the facility in the correction of deficiencies and financial difficulties identified in the facility’s operation.

(e)  The director may require the hiring of a temporary manager for a nursing facility when the director determines that a nursing facility is:

(1)  Experiencing severe financial difficulties which if continued, present a substantial probability of financial insolvency; or

(2)  A facility is operating in such a manner or condition that continued operation by the licensee, or his or her representative, presents a substantial probability of immediate jeopardy to the health or safety of the residents.

(f)  The qualifications of any quality consultant or temporary manager as required under this section shall be approved by the department. Any quality consultant or temporary manager hired by the nursing facility under this section shall report on progress toward quality improvement to the department in a manner and format determined by the director.