A Florida long-term care provider association is voicing concerns over whether or not the state government will help providers cover the costs of installing generators in their facilities.
Bob Asztalos, chief lobbyist for the Florida Health Care Association, asked officials during a meeting Monday whether nursing homes would be allowed to include generators on cost reports they submit to the state, according to The News Services of Florida
“The agency’s response right now would be, we are looking at that. We are looking into that and what is the best approach to doing this,” said Tom Wallace, interim assistant deputy secretary for Medicaid finance and analytics for Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration, the news service reported.
The meeting was held regarding a prospective payment system for nursing homes, to replace the current cost report-based system currently used.
An appeals court on Tuesday sided with providers on the generator issue. In its decision, the court said a state emergency rule requiring them to have generators in place by Nov. 15 was not in effect during Gov. Rick Scott’s (R) appeal of a previous order deeming the rule invalid.
The emergency rule — and future state law — requiring generators stemmed from the deaths of 14 nursing home residents following Hurricane Irma.
The tragedy also sparked a bill, proposed Tuesday, that would make nursing homes a priority for power restoration following a natural disaster. The rule also would allow cameras or other monitoring devices to be placed by residents’ families inside of their rooms.
