ALF Inspections At-a-Glance

LSLE’s ALF Inspections At-a-Glance: Authorities and Scope rounds up the inspections that ALF’s are most likely to see, including their areas of focus, frequency, and responsible regulatory body.

Holding an Assisted Living Facility license in the State of Florida is considered a public trust and a privilege (s. 429.01(3), F.S.). This perspective is reflected in the different inspections, each with their own area of focus, that occur in Assisted Living Facilities. The Agency for Health Care Administration’s standard license renewal inspection that occurs biennially garners a lot of attention, and rightly so, but other authorities inspect ALFs more frequently and with different objectives.     

For example, the annual Administrative Assessment conducted by the local Ombudsman’s office focuses on conditions impacting the rights, health, safety, and welfare of residents. The Assessment will not be announced ahead of time and the Ombudsman will utilize a checklist that helps guide their review of conditions. The Ombudsman will conduct an exit consultation with the ALF Administrator to discuss any issues affecting residents they have observed and to make recommendations for improvement. The Long Term Care Ombudsman’s Office is not authorized to issue citations, but they do refer issues to the Agency for Health Care Administration or to the Department of Children and Families for further review.

Other inspections routinely conducted through the County offices of the Florida Department of Health focus on food hygiene, physical plant safety, and biomedical waste. Florida invests considerable financial resources to maintain the inspection infrastructure and experienced Administrators learn to leverage the investment these inspections represent. For example, County Departments of Health use specific forms to conduct their environmental health inspections; these forms and the regulations they represent are readily available by contacting the County and by visiting the DOH Residential Group Care site.

Residents should also be aware that the ALF is subject to rigorous inspections from external parties.  Resident Councils are a good place to share how the ALF prepares for and learns from the experience.

ALF Inspections At-a-Glance: Authorities and Scope can be used for:

• Staff Training
• Resident Council Meetings
• Connecting with local authorities to learn more about the process
• Reviewing the ALF’s compliance calendar

Visit the LSLE Resource Center to link to the different regulatory entities responsible for inspections.