No. HB 81
Filed under Healthcare.
Postsurgical Recovery Homes; Provides legislative findings & intent, & licensure requirements; provides minimum standards, prohibited acts, & rulemaking procedures.
Plain English Summary
AI-GENERATEDCreates Florida's first licensing scheme for postsurgical recovery homes. Operating one without a license from the Agency for Health Care Administration becomes a third-degree felony, on top of civil fines up to $10,000 per violation and license revocation.
Licensed facilities must keep a nurse onsite or on-call around the clock, train all staff in CPR and wound care, and maintain staff-to-patient ratios of at least 1 to 8 during the day and 1 to 6 at night.
Facilities also need written hurricane evacuation plans and standing contracts with nearby hospitals for emergency transfers, and must give each patient a written service agreement and a copy of their recovery plan before admission.
Applicants for a license must show compliance with safety standards, pass criminal background checks for all owners and staff, and carry general liability and medical malpractice insurance before the agency will inspect and license the home.
AINo person or entity may operate a postsurgical recovery home without first obtaining a license from the Agency for Health Care Administration, which must inspect the facility before licensure and annually afterward.
AIAt least one licensed practical nurse or registered nurse must be onsite or on-call at all times, and all staff must be trained in CPR, basic wound care, and postoperative care procedures.
AIFacilities must maintain a staff-to-patient ratio of at least 1 to 8 during the day and 1 to 6 at night, a fixed numeric floor rather than a general adequacy standard.
AIBeyond civil fines of up to $10,000 per violation and license suspension or revocation, operating a postsurgical recovery home without a license is itself a criminal offense, a felony of the third degree.
AIAn applicant must prove compliance with facility safety standards, pass criminal background checks for all owners and staff, and carry general liability and medical malpractice insurance before the agency will license the facility.
AIEach facility must maintain a written hurricane evacuation and disaster response plan and hold a standing contract with a nearby hospital for emergency patient transfers.
AIBefore admission, a facility must give the patient or their representative a written service agreement, access to a copy of the recovery plan, and a stated visitor access policy meant to prevent isolating the patient.