10/4/24 Update: The rule below was withdrawn. This means there is no change to Admission Procedures related to communicable diseases in Assisted Living Facilities. The Notice of Withdrawal may be found on the Agency for Health Care Administration’s Rulemaking site. ## Today, the Agency for Health Care Administration published a
There’s nothing like giving a live presentation for generating interactive energy between attendees and the presenter. I appreciated the audience questions I received during the ALF Administration 101 presentation at the FHCA Annual Conference & Trade Show earlier this week. Questions tended to pop around Adverse Incident and Abuse, Neglect,
I’m excited to be part of ALF Day, presenting ALF Administration 101: Compliance Confidence is Cool live and in-person at the Florida Health Care Association Annual Conference & Tradeshow in Orlando. Monday, July 22 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. Rosen Shingle Creek, Orlando In developing ALF Administration 101, I’ve curated the Florida ALF Executive
Florida’s health care providers that are required to conduct employee background screening, were sent a reminder from the Agency for Health Care Administration earlier this month regarding a shortened timeframe for reporting to the Background Screening Clearinghouse. Employers have long since been required to log in to the Agency’s Background
The LSLE License Renewal Timeline for Assisted Living Facilities highlights and applies the timeframes given in Florida Statutes to license renewal. Assisted Living Facilities are licensed for a two-year period and the renewal regulations include specific milestones that, if overlooked, will quickly complicate the renewal process, and cost the ALF
A new video training detailing how HB 299 (R-Black; R-Salzman) changes Florida’s longstanding ADRD education has been produced by LSLE for those health care providers impacted by the bill. Effective July 1, 2023, HB 299 expands training requirements to certain non-specialized health care providers, changes topics for others, introduces an
10/4/24 Update: The rule below was withdrawn. This means there is no change to Admission Procedures related to communicable diseases in Assisted Living Facilities. The Notice of Withdrawal may be found on the Agency for Health Care Administration’s Rulemaking site. ## Today, the Agency for Health Care Administration published a final rule changing admission
There’s nothing like giving a live presentation for generating interactive energy between attendees and the presenter. I appreciated the audience questions I received during the ALF Administration 101 presentation at the FHCA Annual Conference & Trade Show earlier this week. Questions tended to pop around Adverse Incident and Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation requirements, especially
I’m excited to be part of ALF Day, presenting ALF Administration 101: Compliance Confidence is Cool live and in-person at the Florida Health Care Association Annual Conference & Tradeshow in Orlando. Monday, July 22 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. Rosen Shingle Creek, Orlando In developing ALF Administration 101, I’ve curated the Florida ALF Executive Director’s domains of practice,
Florida’s health care providers that are required to conduct employee background screening, were sent a reminder from the Agency for Health Care Administration earlier this month regarding a shortened timeframe for reporting to the Background Screening Clearinghouse. Employers have long since been required to log in to the Agency’s Background Screening Clearinghouse within 10
The LSLE License Renewal Timeline for Assisted Living Facilities highlights and applies the timeframes given in Florida Statutes to license renewal. Assisted Living Facilities are licensed for a two-year period and the renewal regulations include specific milestones that, if overlooked, will quickly complicate the renewal process, and cost the ALF some cash in fines.
A new video training detailing how HB 299 (R-Black; R-Salzman) changes Florida’s longstanding ADRD education has been produced by LSLE for those health care providers impacted by the bill. Effective July 1, 2023, HB 299 expands training requirements to certain non-specialized health care providers, changes topics for others, introduces an additional 1-hour requirement, and
The new No-Rules Review is the latest addition to the LSLE ALF Core Training eLearning Program tools and resources. The No-Rules Review for the LSLE ALF Core Training Program is a streamlined version of the 26-hour eLearning course that equips students to sit for Florida’s Assisted Living Facility Administrator Competency Test. The No-Rules Review
On Wednesday, the Agency for Health Care Administration conducted a rule development workshop to address a new Direct Care Workforce Survey which will be required to be completed by Assisted Living Facilities and Nursing Homes as part of the license renewal process. We learned at the workshop that it will likely be another 5
The Agency for Health Care Administration is conducting a rule hearing next week to update record keeping requirements that would connect to several newer policies which have been mandated for Assisted Living Facilities over recent years. The proposed rule modifies s. 59A-36.015, FAC, by adding to the elements of information an ALF is required
Does Santa Clause need a background screening? We recognize that Santa Clause might enter an Assisted Living Facility without following the ALF’s visitation policy, and some Administrators have argued convincingly that they must initiate a Level 2 screening on Santa’s behalf through the Agency’s Background Screening Clearinghouse. Granted, once Santa’s fingerprints, photograph, and screening
Designing and implementing an Activities Program for residents is an essential aspect of an Assisted Living Facility’s responsibilities. Its importance is reflected in the regulatory emphasis codified in the Resident Care Standards (see s. 59A-36.007, FAC, below). Activities are offered for both an ALF’s general population and for residents with special needs like Alzheimer’s
With Hurricane Ian search and rescue and cleanup efforts underway, Florida’s Assisted Living Facilities and Nursing Homes will soon be evaluating their individual emergency responses and discussing with their teams what worked well and what may not have gone as planned. It’s particularly timely to pay attention to the Agency for Health Care Administration’s
This week the Agency for Health Care Administration filed an amendment to s. 59A-36.012, FAC, with the Department of State which will update the dietary guidelines that must be used by ALFs in their meal planning for residents. The updated meal planning resources are: USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 Dietary Reference Intake Tables,
According to the Employment Situation Summary released June 3 (U.S. BLS), employment in the Nursing and Residential Care Facilities sector in the United States rose by 5,000 in May. However, this increase still represents about 46,000 fewer workers than this time last year (2021) for this sector of the job market. Hospitals did better
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
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
More people taking Florida’s ALF Administrator Competency Test find the Records module the most difficult. This is a little surprising given that other modules, like Medication Management, have considerably more weight on the test. One explanation may be that students mistake the Records module’s modest 2 objectives as meaning that there’s not much content
The fastest and the largest growing segment of the senior market is the middle-income seniors whose financial resources are expected to be below annual Assisted Living costs. While developers focus on older adults with at least $62,000 in annual income, it’s the middle-income senior population that will nearly double by 2029. Financing is just
As the 2022 Legislative Session begins its final week, the In-person Visitation bill (HB 987) is scheduled for its second reading in the House Chamber, positioning for passage by Sine Die this Friday. Affecting Assisted Living Facilities, Hospices, and Nursing Homes (and others), the bill requires providers to establish visitation policies and procedures. Florida’s
In 2021, the Agency for Health Care Administration proposed extending the use of an all-hazards approach to Assisted Living Facilities, Adult Day Care Centers, and Home Health Agencies. The rule would require integrating all-hazards planning within providers
The 2022 regular Legislative Session convened in Tallahassee on January 11. One of the earlier bills to drop proposes modifying certain in-service requirements for employees of Assisted Living Facilities and
The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration clarifies their survey intentions for COVID-19
According to an 1/7/22 alert from the Agency for Health Care Administration, Florida’s Assisted Living Facilities and Nursing Homes are receiving at-home COVID-19 test kits to use for symptomatic residents. The initiative includes a requirement for reporting to CDR Health. Administrators can view the User Workflow Guide to learn what to report to CDR Health. Read
Time for ALFs and Medicaid HCBS service providers receiving federal COVID-19 relief funding in 2020 to report how they spent the funds. Deadline is
Providers serving on legislative or regulatory boards will be interested in this white paper (ASPE/HHS) that explores how to conduct regulatory impact analyses. Sections 3 and 4 of Uncertainty in RIAs (9/21) details approaches and
States are given until March 2023 to demonstrate compliance with the home and community-based services settings rule. CMS’s State Medicaid Director Letter (SMD # 20-003) addresses ALFs sharing grounds with presumptively institutional settings. The Agency’s Federal Authorities Unit is responsible for Florida’s compliance with the federal
OSHA is cleared to begin enforcing COVID-19 Vaccinate-or-Test mandates for certain employers; legal
AHCA/NCAL reports on OSHA’s COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing
CMS updates visitation requirements for Nursing Homes (Ref: QSO-20-39-NH REVISED 11/12/2021). ALFs may be interested in viewing the edits shown
OSHA directed to take no steps to implement or enforce their COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Standard until further
An approved Agency form has been developed that ALF providers may use for residents opting out of the daily recitation of their medication names and dosages during assistance with self-administration of medications pursuant to s. 429.256
Workforce issues threaten Assisted Living operations according to a survey of Assisted
A new infection prevention rule for ALFs was adopted by the Agency on 8/16. Hand hygiene programs, standard precautions, and disinfection of assistive devices