The Agency for Health Care Administration (Agency) today is highlighting recent national data showing Florida nursing homes, with oversight from the Agency, are delivering higher and higher quality during the course of this decade. Since 2011, Florida nursing homes have shown strong results and/or improvement in a host of quality measures, including those related to infections, falls, pressure ulcers, wandering, physical restraints and the use of anti-psychotic medicines. From information available on the CMS website, Florida nursing homes are either outperforming national averages, showing significant improvements over the last 10 years, or both, on the vast majority of core quality measures.
Agency Secretary Justin Senior said, “Our Agency’s top priority is providing the highest level of quality for patients in Florida. Florida nursing home residents today are less likely to fall, less likely to wander, less likely to suffer infections, less likely to exhibit unhealed pressure ulcers, and less likely to be chemically restrained than they were at the beginning of the decade. Florida tends to do well compared to national averages on these measures as well. This achievement is the product of high standards, consistent regulation, and the hard work of dedicated nursing home employees in the state. It is also the product of swift enforcement action whenever a nursing facility fails to meet Florida’s high standards. I am proud of the efforts that we have made with our partners, and clear expectations and strong regulatory oversight have led to vastly improved performance in our state’s nursing homes.”
The Agency is tasked with regulating the state’s nursing homes, which ensures that Florida’s most vulnerable population is safely cared for in the hands of our state’s nursing homes. The Agency is constantly taking action to ensure patient safety in Florida’s nursing homes. In late 2017, CMS implemented its Quality Assessment Performance Improvement requirements. Nursing homes are required to create quality plans to ensure that their levels of care and service maintain acceptable performance standards and are always improving. The Agency will hold nursing homes in Florida accountable for adhering to their quality plans as well as all regulatory requirements as one of many methods of safeguarding their residents.
Nursing homes in Florida are held to the highest standard. Florida has a unique and diverse population, and our nursing homes reflect that. As more people move to the Sunshine State, our Agency will remain diligent in improving the quality of care our vulnerable citizens receive. Even the best nursing homes can improve the experience for their residents, and our Agency is committed to continued work with our partners in fostering this environment of constant improvement and high levels of service and care.
