Landmark elder care reform passed by the Florida Legislature in 2001 (SB 1202) has resulted in tougher regulation, increased staffing requirements and quality improvement and risk management programs, all of which are enforced through a combined state and federal survey process of the Agency for Health Care Administration. Nursing home care has steadily improved as a result.
The benefits of improved oversight of the quality of care for residents, however, have resulted in some duplicative requirements and regulations. Multiple agencies and multiple levels of government are placing conflicting demands on providers and valuable front-line caregivers, who are spending time on unnecessary and duplicative processes when their time is better spent at the residents’ bedsides. The Florida Health Care Association and its advocacy partner, Our Florida Promise, are asking legislators to support those bills which eliminate unnecessary and duplicative regulation, saving valuable caregiver time and the state’s resources to alleviate financial burdens on the state’s economy.