The Florida health care system is undergoing substantial changes that will directly affect medical facility operations. You may have already heard about some of the changes, but the most substantial ones concern Florida Medicaid payouts, pay increases for healthcare workers, relaxed patient care times, and facility assessments. This article will outline the healthcare legislation changes on the horizon and fill you in on what your facility can expect moving forward.
Healthcare in Florida is Changing in Big Ways
Florida lawmakers have been very busy, having recently passed several bills poised to change Florida healthcare in enormous ways. Let’s begin by going over each of the regulatory changes that affect nursing facilities.
- Patient Care Requirements
In Florida, CNAs and nurses were required to provide 3.6 hours of direct care to each patient every day. This situation has changed a bit, with a new bill allowing flexibility as to who provides the care. Now, other direct care staff can be used to fulfill a portion of the care requirement, including Florida health care providers like respiratory therapists and physical therapists. The bill also reduces the direct care requirement for CNAs from 2.5 hours a day to 2 hours a day.
What to Expect
This bill will help lighten the load on CNAs and nurses at your facility. These professionals and paraprofessionals will not be required to spend as much time with any one patient, so you’ll be able to reallocate their time and potentially help more patients.
To get the most out of your staff, nurse and CNA schedules should be reviewed by management and updated as needed to minimize redundant direct care time. This process may be a bit tedious, but it is necessary, nonetheless.
- Mandatory Facility Assessments
In addition to the above regulatory changes, the new law requires nursing facilities to conduct in-depth assessments to determine each resident's appropriate level of care. This requirement is meant to protect residents’ best interests and ensure that their care won’t suffer as a result of the other legislative changes.
What to Expect
Management will need to take some time out to complete this assessment on a resident-by-resident basis.
The assessment should consider the following:
- The physical and mental disabilities that residents are dealing with.
- Any diseases that require ongoing care or monitoring.
- The patient’s care plan as determined by healthcare professionals at the facility.
- Reimbursement Increase from Florida Medicaid
Due to the recently passed bills, nursing homes are slated to receive an increase in reimbursement from Florida Medicaid. But this increase is only available to facilities that submit to a financial review by a public entity.
What to Expect
Cash-strapped nursing homes that have been operating ethically can rejoice! This reimbursement increase can be used to replenish dwindling resources, hire more staff, and address other issues stemming from lack of sufficient income.
- Pay Increase for Nursing Home Workers
Nursing home workers will now earn a minimum wage of $15 per hour as part of the new Florida healthcare regulations. To cover this pay hike, nursing homes will receive an allowance from Florida Medicaid.
What to Expect
This pay boost is expected to increase job satisfaction among workers, which may inspire them to do an even better job while they’re on the clock. And the best part is that nursing homes don’t have to foot the bill for the increase in wages.
- Florida Visitation Rights in Healthcare Facilities
To slow the spread of the coronavirus, Floridians have often been denied the right to visit loved ones at healthcare facilities. This meant that fathers were missing the births of their children and people were unable to see their loved ones in nursing homes.
The new bill ratified by Governor DeSantis directly addresses Florida visitation rights. It grants people the right to visit loved ones (with the patient’s permission) for at least 2 hours a day in the following situations:
o Childbirth
o When a specific family member is needed to help the patient complete life-sustaining activities.
o When the patient is expected to pass away soon.
o When the patient is grieving.
o When the patient is homesick.
*This is not a complete list of instances where visitors will be permitted visitation.
What to Expect
Because of this new bill, nursing home suites will likely be more crowded than usual. Your staff and residents should be made aware of this in a timely manner. Also, management should implement tracking measures to monitor the influx of visitors who’ll be coming to see loved ones. Preparing for this law is as straightforward as reading up on the new bill in its entirety and updating the visitation policy accordingly.
Note: Facilities will need to update their visitation policies and inform the public of the changes by May 6th.
The Problem with the New Staffing Legislation
At first glance, the more relaxed requirements for nursing home care may seem like an improvement. But advocates for resident care fiercely oppose the new regulations because of many widely publicized instances of neglect in nursing facilities. They assert that, if anything, regulations should be tightened rather than loosened.
Therefore, this is not the time to relax. Nursing facility staff and management must do all they can to provide high-quality care to their patients. In order to avoid unfavorable outcomes, facility management should ensure that nursing staff is attentive to patients, that there are enough staff available to provide sufficient care to patients, and that every patient is heard and attended to in a timely manner.
Staffing Challenges Aren’t Going Away Any Time Soon
Though some of the recent changes may provide relief to some understaffed nursing facilities, they are not a cure-all for every facility. The truth is that in instances where medical facilities are severely understaffed, hiring more nursing staff quickly is often the best solution.
If your facility is struggling to provide effective, timely, compassionate care to your patients, we recommend seeking out a reputable nurse staffing agency. Getting the staff you need will reduce strain on your existing team and drastically improve your facility’s quality of care.
Well, there you have it! We’ve outlined the new legislative changes in the Florida healthcare system and informed you of what to expect. We encourage you to seek out more information about the legislation and take any steps necessary to comply with the new law.
