FHCA Praises Senate Health Policy Committee for Advancing Litigation Reform

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 18, 2014
CONTACT: Kristen Knapp, APR
(850) 701-3530 or kknapp@fhca.org

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Citing the importance of protecting nursing home care without sacrificing accountability, the Florida Health Care Association today praised Senator Aaron Bean, Chairman of the Senate Health Policy Committee, and Senator John Thrasher, sponsor, for their leadership in advancing SB 670, the Nursing Home Litigation Reform bill.

“FHCA is thankful to Senator Bean and the committee for hearing this good bill. We applaud Senator Thrasher for his tremendous work on developing a bill that puts the best interests of nursing home residents before all other concerns,” stated Emmett Reed, Executive Director of Florida Health Care Association, the state’s first and largest advocacy organization for long term care providers and the frail elders they serve. “This legislation properly safeguards the interests of residents, while giving Florida’s many outstanding nursing homes the assurance that they can continue to provide those residents with a high level of care without fear of excessive litigation.”

This proposal marks an historic agreement between the trial bar and the nursing home profession, two sides that have long been on opposite ends of this important issue. “I’d like to thank the Florida Justice Association and AARP for working with us to provide Senator Thrasher with recommendations that we believe are a practical solution to a problem that has vexed elder care for years,” Reed continued. “With this legislation, we can all move forward toward better care for those most in need of our services.

SB 670 clarifies and strengthens civil procedures for nursing home claims to ensure a fair litigation process where the rules are clear and it is difficult for any party to abuse the system. The bill contains four important elements:

1) It will ensure that residents can pursue lawsuits against those directly at fault for negative events, while preventing claims against passive investors and others who have nothing to do with the incident.

2) It will make sure legitimate awards are paid by revoking the license of any nursing home operator who doesn’t pay a final judgment, arbitration award or settlement.

3) It makes it harder to pursue a punitive damage claim where there is insufficient evidence to substantiate it.

4) It establishes a workable framework for providing appropriate medical records to family members.

ABOUT FLORIDA HEALTH CARE ASSOCIATION
Celebrating its 60th Anniversary in 2014, Florida Health Care Association (FHCA) is a federation which serves nearly 1,000 members and represents over 500 long term care facilities that provide skilled nursing, post-acute and sub-acute care, short-term rehab, assisted living and other services to the frail elderly and individuals with disabilities in Florida. The mission of FHCA is to advance the quality of services, image, professional development and financial stability of its members. As Florida's first and largest advocacy organization for long term care providers and the elderly they serve, the Association has worked diligently since 1954 to assist its members with continuously improving quality of care and quality of life for the state’s growing elder care population. For more information about Florida Health Care Association, visit [url=http://www.fhca.org]http://www.fhca.org[/url].

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