Florida Nursing Home to Be Terminated as Medicaid Provider
Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Sept. 14 reported that of Florida's total 309 hospitals, all operational facilities have power or are running on generator power. Ten Florida hospitals were closed and are continuing to coordinate with the state on reopening, he said.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Sept. 14 directed the Agency for Health Care Administration to terminate Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills LLC, located in Hollywood Hills, Fla., as a Medicaid provider after eight elderly patients died there in the wake of Hurricane Irma.
Saying the nursing home was responsible to provide its patients a safe environment but failed to do so, he indicated the facility never communicated to state authorities that there was any imminent threat to its patients' lives or safety.
His statement said the nursing home is undergoing a criminal investigation from local authorities and open investigations from both AHCA and the Florida Department of Children and Families, adding that the state will stop the facility from providing care. AHCA issued an emergency moratorium for the nursing home and reported Sept. 13 that all patients had been evacuated from it. The moratorium immediately prevents the facility from admitting any patients until it is lifted.
"I am absolutely heartbroken to learn of news reports of the deaths of multiple individuals in a nursing home in Broward County. Protecting the lives of Floridians is my top priority, and that's why we have worked all week to help Floridians prepare and respond to Hurricane Irma. I am going to aggressively demand answers on how this tragic event took place," Scott said in a statement. "Although the details of these reported deaths are still under investigation, this situation is unfathomable. Every facility that is charged with caring for patients must take every action and precaution to keep their patients safe – especially patients that are in poor health. I have directed the Agency for Health Care Administration and the Department of Children and Families to immediately work with local law enforcement to conduct an investigation, and if they find that anyone wasn't acting in the best interests of their patients, we will hold them accountable to the fullest extent of the law. I am also asking available first responders to immediately check in with the healthcare facilities in their area to make sure nursing homes and assisted living facilities are able to keep their residents safe."
The statement said of Florida's total 309 hospitals, "all operational facilities have power or are running on generator power. Ten Florida hospitals are currently closed and are continuing to coordinate with the state on reopening."