Florida has stopped most inspections and complaint investigations in nursing homes, health clinics and other health-care facilities. Now the inspectors only go out if there’s case that’s life and death. Congress stopped paying the Medicare agency, so that agency stopped paying the states.
Austin Curry, director of Elder Care Advocacy of Florida, was appalled when he found out.
“This is a travesty, above all things to curtail is nursing home inspections”, Curry said.The patients in nursing homes often can’t speak for themselves, said Curry.
“It’s just unacceptable to allow this to happen because it places the most vulnerable people in our care system at risk", Curry said.
The state could keep doing the inspections if it were willing to foot the bill, but Gov. Rick Scott ruled that out.
Copyright 2013 WGCU
