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March Monthly Actions from AHCA

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March Monthly Actions: Agency Took Licensure Action against Five Providers,
Eight Additional Providers Suspended from the Medicaid Program

The Agency for Health Care Administration (Agency) issued final orders to four providers for failure to meet licensure requirements in March.
There were three final orders to deny a license renewal and one to revoke an existing license. Some of these providers were enrolled in the Medicaid program and the Agency has terminated or is in the process of terminating their participation in the program.
The Agency also issued an Immediate Moratorium on Admissions to Little Friends Learning Center, Inc. dba Alpine Adult Care Center, an assisted living facility in Escambia County.
In addition, the Agency suspended eight providers from participation in the Medicaid program, prohibiting the providers from being paid for claims to the Medicaid program for furnishing, supervising a person who is furnishing, or causing a person to furnish goods or services.
Agency Medicaid terminations and suspensions typically result from failure to return funds due to the Agency within required timeframes; a charge, indictment, or guilty plea to a health care related crime; suspension, termination, or exclusion from Medicare or Medicaid in another state; or a license denial, revocation, suspension or termination by the licensing agency.
The chart below displays the Agency’s March licensure actions:

The chart below displays the Agency’s March Medicaid final order actions:

Further information about the actions and final orders can be found on the public records search page. Emergency orders, including moratoriums on admissions and suspensions, can also be found on the public records search page by searching the name of the facility.
The Agency encourages anyone who may have a concern or observes a problem in any health care facility or with any provider regulated by the Agency, to file a complaint by calling our consumer complaint line at 1-888-419-3456 or by reporting online at http://ahca.myflorida.com/Contact/call_center.shtml.
Tips about suspected fraud can be reported by calling the Attorney General’s Fraud Hotline at 1-866-966-7226 or the Agency’s Consumer Call Center at 1-888-419-3456. Anyone can report fraud online by visiting the Agency’s website at https://apps.ahca.myflorida.com/InspectorGeneral/fraud_complaintform.aspx.

Democratic lawmakers intervene in Florida Supreme Court petition

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Senate Democratic Leader Oscar Braynon on Friday joined fellow Democratic lawmakers in support of Orlando State Attorney Aramais Ayala’s ongoing legal battle with the governor over his meddling in prosecutorial authority.
In a “friend of the court” legal brief submitted to the Florida Supreme Court, Leader Braynon joined Senators Perry Thurston, Gary Farmer, and Jeff Clemens, as well as House Democratic Leader Janet Cruz and Representative Sean Shaw in arguing that Governor Rick Scott’s executive orders stripping first-degree murder cases from Ayala exceeded his authority granted under the state constitution.
Scott issued the executive orders not long after State Attorney Ayala announced that she would pursue life imprisonment without parole over the death penalty in capital cases because of its on-going flaws and protracted appeals process, among other reasons.
“There has been no failure to prosecute; no showing of lack of experience in the State Attorney’s Office to prosecute first degree murder cases; no speedy trial consideration; any other unwillingness or inability by State Attorney Ayala to prosecute any person for the crime of first degree murder in the 9th Judicial Circuit,” the lawmakers wrote.
Nor, they noted, is there any Florida statute mandating a state attorney to seek the death penalty.
Additionally, should the governor’s intervention be allowed to stand, “the Governor may claim the constitutional and statutory power to reassign any case or class of cases” from any state attorney with whom he disagrees in the future, they argued.
The filing of the motion came one week after the Republican leadership of the House was permitted by the Court to intervene in the emergency action on behalf of the governor to show “useful insight.”
In response, the Democrats wrote that they are likewise seeking to provide an “alternative perspective” in order to provide balance to the Court.
The petition for “Quo Warranto” currently pending before the Justices was filed earlier this month. Ayala, who represents the 9th Judicial Circuit, is asking the Court to order the governor to show by what constitutional authority he replaced her on 23 homicide cases pending in her district with a state attorney of his own choosing.

MERONNEE BROTHERS REVOCABLE LIVING TRUST CLAIMS $750,000 LUCKY MONEY™ JACKPOT

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TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Lottery announces that Lionel Meronnee, trustee of the Meronnee Brothers Revocable Living Trust, of West Palm Beach, claimed the $750,000 LUCKY MONEY™ jackpot from the April 7, 2017, drawing at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee.
Meronnee Brothers Revocable Living Trust chose to receive the winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $553,875.28. The winning LUCKY MONEY Quick Pick ticket was purchased from Publix, located at 4075 North Haverhill Road in West Palm Beach.
Total ticket sales for this LUCKY MONEY jackpot generated more than $814,000 for the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF).
The next LUCKY MONEY drawing will be Friday, April 21, 2017, at 11:15 p.m. ET, with a $950,000 jackpot. The LUCKY MONEY drawings are broadcast on 17 carrier stations throughout the state. Winning numbers are available on the Lottery website, at retailers statewide and by phone at (850) 921-PLAY.
 

ICYMI: U.S. Travel Praises Florida Governor’s Tourism Funding Proposal

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U.S. Travel Praises Florida Governor’s Tourism Funding Proposal
Press Release: U.S. Travel Association
April 18, 2017
U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow issued the following statement in praise of Florida Governor Rick Scott’s $100 million funding proposal for VISIT FLORIDA:
“Last year, Florida enjoyed record tourism growth, despite a multitude of headwinds—growth that would not have been possible without the efforts of VISIT FLORIDA. The investment proposal of $100 million announced today by Governor Scott demonstrates the value he places on tourism promotion to his state’s economy, and represents exactly the kind of bold vision required to expand jobs for hard-working Floridians…”
To see the full press release, click HERE.

Commissioner Putnam Seeks Nominations for Woman of the Year in Agriculture

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Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam is now accepting nominations for the 2017 “Woman of the Year in Agriculture” award.
Since 1985, the “Woman of the Year in Agriculture” award has recognized women in all areas of the industry who have made outstanding contributions to Florida agriculture. The deadline for submitting nominations is June 1, 2017.
Nominations may be submitted electronically by accessing the application located on the Woman of the Year in Agriculture page.  Nominations may also be sent via U.S. mail or fax to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Director of External Affairs Clay Hollis. Send completed nomination forms to the Florida Department of Agriculture of and Consumer Services, Plaza Level 10, The Capitol, 400 S Monroe St., Tallahassee, Fla. 32399-0800; Fax 850-617-7744, [email protected].
More information about the “Woman of the Year in Agriculture” award and past award winners can be found here. For more information about the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, visit FreshFromFlorida.com.

Commissioner Adam H. Putnam to Host Media Availability on Florida Wildfires

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Nearly 80,000 acres within state fire jurisdiction have burned due to wildfires in 2017, a more than fourfold increase from the same timeframe in 2016. Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam and State Forester Jim Karels will hold a media availability on Wednesday to discuss these wildfires and forecasted wildfire conditions.
Event: Media availability on wildfires
Date: Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: Office of the Commissioner of Agriculture
The Capitol, PL-10
400 S. Monroe St.
Tallahassee, Fla. 32399
For more information about the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, visit FreshFromFlorida.com or call 1-800-HELP-FLA.

Sen. Nelson's letter to Sec. Price on opioid abuse

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U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) sent a letter today to Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price to draw his attention to the ongoing opioid crisis in Florida.
Nelson asked the secretary whether expanding Medicaid in Florida would help the state provide additional treatment to those addicted to opioids. And, on the other hand, whether cutting Medicaid through the use of block grants would affect the state’s ability to provide such treatment.
“As the single largest payer for substance use services, Medicaid plays a critical role in the fight against the opioid epidemic,” Nelson wrote. “Changing the Medicaid program through block grants or caps will shift costs to states, eliminate critical federal protections, and hurt the more than 3.6 million Floridians who rely on the program, including those struggling from opioid disorders.”
Below is the full text of Nelson’s letter, and a PDF copy can be found here.

April 18, 2017

Thomas Price, M.D.
Secretary
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20201
Dear Secretary Price,
I am writing to draw your attention to an issue that is devastating Florida and encourage your agency to continue the fight against opioid abuse and misuse in the United States.
Addiction to heroin and opioids has reached staggering levels, and the situation is only getting worse. In 2015, more than 33,000 Americans died from an opioid overdose. That’s 15 percent more people who died from opioid overdoses than in 2014.
The state of Florida is no exception to the national trend. More than 2,200 Floridians died of opioid abuse in 2015.
In addition to the devastating loss of life, heroin and opioid abuse is also straining local budgets. In February, the Vice-Mayor of Palm Beach County sent a letter to the Governor of Florida urging him to declare a public health emergency, citing the loss of life and financial impact to the County. According to the County medical examiner’s office, nearly 600 people died of opioid overdose in Palm Beach County alone last year – nearly twice as many as in 2015.
In 2016, Congress approved legislation to take a comprehensive approach to opioid abuse, and a few months ago, we approved additional funding to start implementing this crucial new law right away.
Given that opioid abuse is a growing problem across the nation, and especially in Florida, I would appreciate your response to the following:

1. As the single largest payer for substance use services, Medicaid plays a critical role in the fight against the opioid epidemic. Changing the Medicaid program through block grants or caps will shift costs to states, eliminate critical federal protections, and hurt the more than 3.6 million Floridians who rely on the program, including those struggling from opioid disorders. Do you support these cuts to the Medicaid program through block grants, caps, or other proposals? If those cuts are made, how do you propose states like Florida provide the necessary services to help individuals with substance use disorder?

2. Thirty-one states have already expanded their Medicaid program to cover individuals with annual incomes below 138 percent of the federal poverty level (less than $30,000 for a family of three). Unfortunately, Florida has decided not to expand its Medicaid program, leaving more than 800,000 Floridians without access to affordable health care, including an estimated 309,000 low-income Floridians with mental health and substance use disorders. According to a study by Harvard University and New York University, Medicaid expansion provides drug treatment to nearly 1.3 million Americans. If Florida expanded its Medicaid program, would it be able to increase access to treatment for those with opioid use disorder? And would expanding Medicaid help the state avoid the rising costs associated with the opioid crisis and mental health needs?

I appreciate your prompt attention to this urgent matter.

Sincerely,