19529027, 59AER17-2 - Florida Administrative Rules, Law, Code, Register

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Notice: 19529027

Notice of Emergency Rule

Department:

AGENCY FOR HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATION

Division:

Health Facility and Agency Licensing

Overview

RULE:

59AER17-2

Variances from Nursing Home Emergency Power Plan Rule

SPECIFIC REASONS FOR FINDING AN IMMEDIATE DANGER TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH, SAFETY OR WELFARE:

The specific reasons are as set forth in the Notice of Emergency Rule, published in the Florida Administrative Register on Monday, September 18, 2017, Volume 43, No. 180, pp. 4003-4005. As a result of the vulnerabilities and risks to the elderly population residing in Florida nursing homes that was evidenced by the impacts of Hurricane Irma, the Agency has promulgated Rule 59AER17-1 Nursing Home Emergency Power Plan to set forth the requirements for each nursing home to develop a plan to ensure the safety and health of residents in the event of the loss of electrical power. In the aftermath of the devastation left by Hurricane Irma, including the loss of life at a licensed nursing home facility due to an incompetent emergency response coupled with the loss of power to cooling systems, and facing the threat of two more potential hurricanes on a similar track toward Florida, the Agency took immediate steps to require nursing home facilities to develop and implement plans to ensure that each facility would be able to maintain temperatures at an appropriate level for a minimum of 96 hours in the event of the loss of electrical power. The experience of Hurricane Irma revealed that additional protections for the elderly were needed beyond reliance on evacuation plans, transfer agreements for evacuation of patients to other facilities, or third-party suppliers of emergency power in times of emergency, and staffing issues arise when facilities are without air conditioning, potentially immediately endangering the health, safety and welfare of the residents. Accordingly, the Emergency Rule was promulgated to direct licensed nursing homes to implement Emergency Power Plans for a minimum of 96 hours to protect patients and residents during the immediate aftermath of a major power outage and infrastructure disruption, not just during a hurricane. 

This Supplement does not repeal or modify the requirements of the Emergency Power Plan Rule. Instead, this supplement to Emergency Rule is adopted to provide guidance and direction on the submission of variance requests under current Florida law. Nursing homes must focus their efforts on ensuring their patients and residents will be protected during the immediate 96 hours following a community-wide disruption of operation of environmental controls.

REASON FOR CONCLUDING THAT THE PROCEDURE IS FAIR UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES:

To facilitate the expeditious implementation of the Emergency Rule requirements, this Supplement to Emergency Power Plan Rule regarding the variance process already available under existing law is adopted to provide guidance and direction to the nursing homes that for reasons outside their control are unable to fully implement an Emergency Power Plan within the sixty (60) days specified in the Emergency Rule. This Supplement does not repeal or modify the requirements of the Emergency Power Plan Rule. This Supplement will enable the Agency to accurately track the steps taken by nursing homes around the state to address the important goal of ensuring that all nursing homes have the ability to protect the safety of the residents in times of emergency. The Supplement provides at least the procedural protections given by other statutes, the Florida Constitution, or the United States Constitution; and takes only that action necessary to clarify the requirements and to protect the public interest under the emergency procedure.

SUMMARY:

This Supplement to Emergency Rule sets forth the criteria and information that should be provided by nursing homes seeking an emergency variance on the grounds that, for reasons outside their control, full implementation of the Emergency Power Plan is not feasible within the sixty (60) day timeframe required by the Emergency Rule. 

This Supplement does not repeal or modify the requirements of the Emergency Power Plan Rule. The Agency will consider the reasonable efforts undertaken by a nursing home to provide the protections contemplated by the Emergency Rule. Administrative action or sanctions for non-compliance with the Emergency Rule will be evaluated based upon the information submitted by the nursing home in conjunction with any variance request under existing law (see §120.542, Florida Statutes) along with such additional information as may be available to the Agency.

THE PERSON TO BE CONTACTED REGARDING THE EMERGENCY RULE IS:

Kimberly Stewart, Agency for Health Care Administration, Division of Health Quality Assurance, Bureau of Health Facility Regulation, 2727 Mahan Drive, MS# 28A, Tallahassee, FL 32308 or at BHFR@ahca.myflorida.com.

PRINT PUBLISH DATE:

10/12/2017 Vol. 43/198

OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE:

Joint Administrative Procedures Committee
Florida Administrative Law Central Online Network (F.A.L.C.O.N.)

RELATED COURT CASES:

Division of Administrative Hearings

FEDERAL eRULEMAKING
WEB PORTAL:

Regulations.gov

HOW TO LINK TO
THIS NOTICE:

http://flrules.org/gateway/ruleno.asp?id=59AER17-2&PDate=10/12/2017&Section=4

REFERENCE MATERIALS:

No reference(s).

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