The US Senate approved a bill that is designed to stiffen management of Florida’s nearly 3,000 Assisted Living Centers approved by a 38-0 vote. “It’s a work that we’ve all put a lot of attempt on,” said Sen. Eleanor Sobel, sponsor of HB 646. The Bill was prompted by a 2011 Miami Herald research that exposed years of misuse, neglect and even loss of life of ALF citizens, said Sobel, D-Hollywood. “Legislation failed in the 2012 session,” Sobel said during the bill’s second reading. “We have a more focused strategy this year. We are trying to better implement present rules. I know this bill considerably enhances the lives of over 80,000 citizens in ALFs in Florida.”
The bill, she said, would consist of these measures:
Change the fine structure for assisted living centers and make charges more foreseeable and fair. Fines would be specified rather than making the amount up to the Agency for Health Care Administration or AHCA, which manages the state’s ALFs. Bigger features would pay larger charges than small ALFs.
Clarify when AHCA must revoke a certificate or place a moratorium on a problem ALF.
Require a research of AHCA’s examinations to figure out if different personnel continually implement licensure requirements to help make sure the administration of the same requirements.
Require that houses with at least one mental health patient acquire a specialized certificate for restricted psychological health insurance coverage make and make certain the service has a plan for a resident’s psychological health care. The present need is three psychological health patients.
Ensure all ALFs offer a two-hour pre-service training for new service workers.
Supporters compliment a need for AHCA to develop an ALF ranking system by Nov. 1. Physicians would also be needed to make a customer guide website with a supervised opinion area to be available by Jan. 1. The community would be able to add feedback which would “capture the energy of competitors to enhance the quality of care and solutions in ALFs.” The invoice would also require ALFs to notify new citizens that it is unlawful to get back against citizens who make a complaint to a long-term care ombudsman, deal with examinations and charges.