On April 6, Governor Ron DeSantis signed SB 988 No Patient Left Alone Act (https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2022/988) after massive bipartisan support. The bill is in response to the Federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) actions in reinstating federal visitation protections in 2020, but continuing to waive visitation policies for hospitals and care centers, which allowed them to prohibit visitations for patients living in Florida. This took a particular toll on seniors during the pandemic, as many people in this community began to experience depression and loneliness that drastically affected their quality of life. Regular visitations can help ward off cognitive and physical problems, provide support systems and ensure seniors are receiving the adequate care they deserve. SB 988 is an important legislative decision that addresses this.

Key Points to the No Patient Left Alone Act

Unless the resident, client or patient denies visitors, SB 988 will allow visitations for all of the following situations: End-of-life situations; a resident, client or patient who was living with family before being admitted to the provider’s care is struggling with the change in environment and lack of in-person family support; a resident, client or patient is making one or more major medical decisions; a resident, client or patient is experiencing emotional distress or grieving the loss of a friend or family member who recently died; a resident, client or patient needs cueing or encouragement to eat or drink which were previously provided by a family member or caregiver; and a resident, client or patient who used to talk and interact with others is seldom speaking.

The No Patient Left Alone Act also allows a resident, client or patient to designate a visitor who is a family member, friend or other individuals as an essential caregiver. An essential caregiver must be allowed at least 2 hours each day in addition to any visitation by an authorized provider.

What Can You Do If You Find Violations to SB 988?

The SB 988 takes effect immediately. All hospitals, hospices, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and intermediate care facilities must adopt and post visitation policies on-site and make policies accessible on their home pages. If they fail to do so or instances of resistance to visitations under the stated situations occur, the state government recommends you immediately file a complaint with the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) https://ahca.myflorida.com/ for review. If you’re unsure about the law and would like assistance before you file a complaint, you can reach out to attorneys Wendy Mara (https://ourseniors.net/legal/florida/ormond-beach/business-law/wendy-a-mara/) and Andrew Grant (https://ourseniors.net/legal/florida/daytona-beach/business-law/andrew-c-grant/), members of the OurSeniors.org Senior Transition Pro Team.

We hope you find this important news for seniors helpful as we move forward past the Covid-19 pandemic. OurSeniors.net strives to provide the latest information on mental & physical health, social life, economy, and legal issues as it relates to our senior and retiree communities through our senior living magazine, our Facebook page, and our website.