FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ Florida nursing homes are now required to disclose a confirmed case of the novel coronavirus to residents and their families within 12 hours under new federal guidelines.
The requirement from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services comes amid criticism that some nursing homes haven't been transparent about the virus, which is particularly deadly for the elderly with underlying health issues.
Nursing homes will have 72 hours to disclose when three or more staff members or residents experience respiratory symptoms, even if test results are still pending and the illnesses are not yet confirmed to be COVID-19.
"It's important that patients and their families have the information that they need, and they need to understand what's going on in the nursing home," said Seema Verma, administrator of CMS.
The requirement will take effect "very soon," according to a memo summarizing the new requirement, although an exact date has not been released. Nursing homes will also have to report cases to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Nursing homes already are required to report COVID-19 to state health officials, but families have complained that they have been left in the dark, said Brian Lee, executive director of Families for Better Care, a national advocacy group for improving conditions at senior care facilities.
"Facilities were circling the wagons and not being transparent even when things were known to be happening," Lee said. "Everything has to fall apart before public officials decide they want to intervene."
On Saturday, Florida released a list of nursing homes, assisted-living facilities and other senior-care centers that state officials say have had a confirmed case of coronavirus involving a staff member or resident. Advocates for the elderly and media outlets had fought for weeks for the information to be released.
The information released in Florida includes only the names of the facilities. The state report doesn't supply additional details, such as whether there are active cases, if the cases resulted in deaths or hospitalizations, or if the cases were among the residents or the staff.
The new federal guidelines do not apply to assisted-living facilities and other long-term care centers. Patrick Manderfield, a spokesman for the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, did not respond to a question asking if the state is considering extending the requirement to cover those facilities.
As of Wednesday, Florida had reported 234 deaths and 2,209 cases of coronavirus in long-term care facilities. That total includes residents and staff.
