Information Withheld from Florida’s Nursing Home Inspection Reports
May 22, 2017
Tampa, FL (Law Firm Newswire) May 22, 2017 – Advocates for nursing home residents have raised concerns about the amount of information that the state of Florida is withholding from nursing home inspection reports, including dates, places and pivotal words.
Watchdog groups say that while it is legitimate to censor personal information such as the names of residents from such reports, the state is withholding critical data, preventing the public from accessing the information the reports are supposed to contain.
“Nursing home residents have the right to a safe and hygienic environment, and the public has the right to know when skilled nursing facilities fall short of the standards they are required to meet,” said Robert Joyce, an attorney with the Tampa firm of Joyce & Reyes, who represents injured nursing home residents. “Access to this information is crucial for nursing home residents and their families.”
The Orlando Sentinel reported on the increase in the amount of inspection information blacked out by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), which is responsible for the reports. The newspaper published excerpts from redacted reports, showing that many details were omitted, making it difficult to understand what happened in a particular incident. Brian Lee, leader of the group Families for Better Care, called the heavy redaction “shocking,” and said that the state began withholding more information in 2016.
The AHCA said that it is merely trying to protect personal health information as required by federal privacy laws. Shelisha Coleman, the AHCA’s press secretary, said that while information such as names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers have always been redacted, the agency believes that other information, if not redacted, could be used in combination to identify a particular resident. However, Coleman could not identify a situation where that had happened. She also said that the agency recently began using an automated redaction process, and some information may have been blacked out inadvertently.
Learn more at http://www.joyceandreyespa.com
Joyce and Reyes Law Firm, P.A.
307 S Hyde Park Ave
Tampa, FL 33606
Call: 813.251.2007
- Florida drivers second worst in country for distracted driving
Researchers ranked Florida’s distracted drivers the second worst in the nation. EverQuote, an online insurance marketplace, collected data from 2.7 million car trips over 230 million miles, through its EverDrive app, which promotes safe driving habits. The app helps users monitor their own speeding and cell phone use while driving. Distracted driving is a major […] - Wrongful death lawsuits filed over crash that killed Jose Fernandez and two friends
Wrongful death lawsuits have been filed in Florida by the families of two people who died along with Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez when the boat he was piloting crashed into a jetty. The accident occurred on September 25, 2016, when the boat hit a rock jetty near Miami Beach at a speed in excess […] - Florida Supreme Court rejects Daubert standard and same specialty standard for expert testimony in medical malpractice cases
In a February 16 opinion, the Florida Supreme Court stated that it declined to adopt, to the extent that they are procedural, two changes to the Evidence Code: the Daubert amendment and the Same Specialty amendment. Legal observers called the decision a victory for consumers, as both amendments would have imposed stricter controls on expert […] - Florida Supreme Court rules medical malpractice lawsuit can proceed
The Florida Supreme Court ruled that a Florida man can pursue his medical malpractice lawsuit against his deceased wife’s primary care physician for her suicide in 2008. The justices ruled unanimously that the case should go to trial, upholding a ruling by the Second District Court of Appeal in 2014, which reversed the decision of […] - Florida family files wrongful death lawsuit against restaurant
A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed by a Florida family against a restaurant where they say their family member ate before dying of salmonella poisoning. Gary Kidwell, 39, died at Boca Regional Hospital on Feb. 12, 2015, after becoming sick in the fall of 2014. The family said that cultures were performed at the […]
