Policies Referenced for Assisted Living Facilities

Laurel Senior Living Education’s new one-pager, Policies Referenced for Assisted Living Facilities (see link below), lists the areas of operation which must function under a policy developed by Assisted Living Facilities in Florida. The free tool supports Administrators and LSLE’s Core Training students in conducting a policy check.

As the Agency for Health Care Administration considers requiring ALFs to develop new policies in their recent rule proposal (ID 25983116), it’s an appropriate time to review policies that are currently required.

The Automated Survey Processing Environment (ASPEN) Regulation Set (link below) is a good place to begin reviewing the areas of operation that are required to function under an ALF-created policy.  The versions that pertain to ALFs are A-4.17 and C-2.14; both are found on the Agency’s Survey and Certification Support Branch website.

Most experienced Administrators will recognize the code format of ASPEN; these are printed on the Statement of Deficiencies they receive after a survey conducted by the Agency.  The ASPEN regulation sets are used by surveyors when recording survey findings.

ASPEN is a great resource because it encapsulates both statutes and administrative rules, allowing readers to track to the original source documents.  This is important because Legislative or Administrative policy makers sometimes stipulate what must be included in a policy or that the policy must be provided to certain parties at specific times (i.e., admissions) or under certain circumstances like when advance deposits are utilized.

The new policies that are currently being proposed (link below) are meant to support the new infection control policy mandate adopted in August of 2021; Administrators will recall that policy addressed hand hygiene, standard precautions, and shared equipment and assistive devices. It’s unclear, though, how the proposed policies for medication practices and pest infestations connect to the August infection control policy.

The workshop is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on July 21, 2022.

Policies Referenced for Assisted Living Facilities (7/18/22)

Rule 59A-36.015 (Record Keeping) Draft Rule Text (6/20/22)

ASPEN Regulation Set (A-4.17 and C-2.14)