Florida's Advocate for Long Term Care Providers and the Elders They Serve
Posted on: Dec 09, 2025
Listed in:
Life Safety
Skilled nursing providers will be familiar with the requirement for smoke detector sensitivity testing to be performed every alternate year, but there are aspects of this requirement that sometimes get overlooked.
Posted on: Dec 01, 2025
Listed in:
Life Safety
A multistory skilled nursing facility faces a unique challenge when it comes to an emergency evacuation due to a fire; that is, safely getting residents who are incapable of walking down a flight of stairs to the first floor. Only under a unique set of circumstances will an elevator be designed and approved for use during a fire emergency evacuation.…
Posted on: Nov 21, 2025
Listed in:
Life Safety
Nursing centers struggling to find storage space may resort to keeping supplies in unoccupied resident rooms or other areas of the facility not typically meant for storage. The problem with storage in areas not designated for that purpose is the facility may have created a hazardous area which could be cited under K 321.
Posted on: Nov 17, 2025
Listed in:
Life Safety
There are different elements to consider when performing the monthly load test for the facility’s emergency generator, and one required element surprisingly cannot be found in NFPA 110. The interval dictating when the load tests must be performed can instead be found in the language for K Tag 918.
Posted on: Nov 10, 2025
Listed in:
Emergency Preparedness,
Life Safety
This tip focuses on the second requirement in the facility’s Emergency Preparedness Plan (EPP) when it comes to the annual disaster training - the exercise of choice, which is an area of focus for surveyors.
Posted on: Nov 03, 2025
Listed in:
Emergency Preparedness,
Life Safety
Many skilled nursing facilities utilize a real-life activation of their emergency preparedness program as one of their disaster trainings as required by E Tag 0039 in CMS’ Appendix Z. With the calmer hurricane season this year, some providers may need to evaluate their disaster training in the absence of any emergency preparedness surrounding a hurricane watch, warning, or evacuation.
Posted on: Nov 03, 2025
Listed in:
Quality
Nursing Home Administrators are responsible for all oversight of the skilled nursing center. They must have college education and then pass the federal and state regulations to become licensed. In all that training, however, there is little to none on risk management, which can change the administrator’s perception and view of operating the center. With risk management training, the administrator…
Posted on: Oct 29, 2025
Listed in:
Life Safety
If you walk into any health care facility and ask an employee what the red receptacle means, you will likely get an answer that indicates the receptacle is powered by the emergency generator. While this is indeed true, it is not technically the reason that the receptacle is identified by a red faceplate. Providers should review K Tag 917 in…
Posted on: Oct 28, 2025
Listed in:
Quality
The way complaints are received and addressed demonstrates an important measure of the center’s commitment to quality care and resident satisfaction. A structured complaint and grievance policy is one of the foundations of a resident-centered approach to care.
Posted on: Oct 14, 2025
Listed in:
Life Safety
Per Florida statute, every three years the state adopts a newer edition of the Florida Building Code (FBC). The next adoption cycle will occur on December 31, 2026, and this post reviews a change to the Florida Building Code 9th edition that will be adopted at that time.
Posted on: Oct 14, 2025
Listed in:
Emergency Preparedness
The presence of residents with complex clinical conditions requiring additional care presents unique challenges in evacuations or other provisions of care during an emergency. When it comes to wound care management and prevention in an emergency, consider all residents to be a risk. There are a variety of diagnoses, treatments and conditions that can present complications.
Posted on: Oct 14, 2025
Listed in:
Emergency Preparedness
Communication during an emergency event is a major undertaking. The facility will be in contact with concerned family members, supply vendors, state agency representatives, corporate personnel, and media, among a host of other parties to keep informed.