On September 9, 2024, the Agency for Health Care Administration entered orders disposing of the petitions for variance filed by Cape Coral Hospital, Gulf Coast Medical Center Lee Memorial Health System, Healthpark Medical ....
AGENCY FOR HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATION
Health Facility and Agency Licensing
RULE NO.:RULE TITLE:
59A-3.243Nursing Services
The Agency for Health Care Administration hereby gives notice: On September 9, 2024, the Agency for Health Care Administration entered orders disposing of the petitions for variance filed by Cape Coral Hospital, Gulf Coast Medical Center Lee Memorial Health System, Healthpark Medical Center, and Lee Memorial Hospital on July 23, 2024, and advertised in Vol. 50, No. 145 Florida Administrative Register on July 25, 2024. The Petitions were assigned the following case numbers: Cape Coral Hospital, 2024010075; Gulf Coast Medical Center Lee Memorial Health System, 2024010077; Healthpark Medical Center, 2024010078; and Lee Memorial Hospital, 2024010079. The Agency for Health Care Administration issued final orders granting the limited conditional Petitions for Variance of paragraph 59A-3.243(4)(c) and subsection (6), F.A.C., which requires a hospital to ensure immediate availability of a registered nurse for bedside care of any patient when needed, and have a minimum of one licensed registered nurse on duty at all times on each nursing unit or similarly titled part of the hospital for rendering patient care services. The Petitions for Variance of paragraph 59A-3.243(4)(c) and subsection (6), F.A.C. are granted upon finding that the Petitioners demonstrated that the purpose of the underlying statute will be or has been achieved by other means and that application of the rule to Petitioner would create a substantial hardship or violate principles of fairness.
A copy of the Order or additional information may be obtained by contacting: Richard Shoop, Agency Clerk, Agency for Health Care Administration, 2727 Mahan Drive, Bldg. 3, MS 3, Tallahassee, FL 32308.
