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Destin’s rehabilitation and health center out of Medicare

Destin Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, the 119-bed nursing home on Mattie M. Kelly Boulevard that recently received a court order halting a state effort to revoke her license pending any other court order. ‘Appeal of the First District. Medicare and Medicaid insurance programs.

Medicare is a federal program for people 65 and older, while Medicaid is a federal and state program that provides health coverage to low-income people. Some people may be eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid.

The termination of Medicare and Medicaid for Destin’s nursing home, which will take effect Thursday, was announced Tuesday by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), part of the federal Department of Health and Human Services.

“CMS requires facilities to meet certain health and safety standards to be certified as a Medicare provider,” the organization said in its announcement. “Involuntary termination of a provider agreement is usually the last resort after all other attempts to correct a facility’s deficiencies have been exhausted. In this case, CMS has found that Destin Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center does not meet CMS health and safety requirements. “

The State Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) initially ordered an emergency suspension of the Destin facility from April 25, but later changed the date to April 2. May, in part to provide additional time for the nursing home to discharge its patients to other care facilities or arrangements.

The AHCA’s action came after it was determined that the lack of staff at the nursing home had compromised patient care. While noting that staff members were doing their best to meet the needs of residents, an April AHCA report noted many troubling stories of residents, including a woman who had lived there for three years and he said he “didn’t remember when he last bathed, and said he urinated for 16 hours a day.”

Another resident told AHCA officials that he had “stooled for 4 hours in the recent past, although he could not provide an exact date.” The resident herself said she had waited up to two hours for her ringing light to be answered.

According to the CMS announcement, Medicare and Medicaid payments can continue for up to 30 days for residents admitted to Destin Healthcare and Rehabilitation before Thursday. It is unclear how many residents may be affected, as the AHCA imposed a moratorium on new admissions on April 16. This moratorium remains in effect, as additional procedures are expected in the event of a license suspension.

In addition, the AHCA has required Destin’s nursing home to work to find alternative locations for the more than 100 residents who were on the facility as an AHCA inspection and the revocation procedure was initiated. the subsequent license.

Shortly after noon on Wednesday, no one at the nursing home had returned a phone call from the Daily News asking for comments on the suspension of Medicare, the relocation of residents from the residence, and other aspects of the license suspension procedure.

At the same time on Wednesday, the Court of Appeal’s website did not have any new documents published in connection with the suspension of the license beyond the April 30 court order stating the suspension “in the ‘awaiting a new order from this Court’.

The Destin facility is managed by Josera LLC, a Florida corporation created in July last year that includes Destin’s nursing home as its address.

AHCA has staff on site to oversee the nursing home, and CMS announced Tuesday that it is “closely following the relocation of Medicare and Medicaid patients to other facilities.”

CMS noted that it recognizes the challenges of relocating residents and patients, but said it “prioritizes patient safety and quality of care.”

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