This week, the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration began posting online health care facility inspection reports and the results of complaint investigations, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports.
Previously, Florida residents had to make a formal public records request to obtain such information.
Florida will post all reports written after June 1, as well as a few older ones, but does not plan to post reports from past years, according to Molly McKinstry, chief of long-term care at the state Agency for Health Care Administration.
Residents will be able to search for official state reports on annual inspections, investigations into complaints, safety inspections and unannounced visits. The reports include information on violations, such as cleanliness, medical mistakes and procedural errors.
Hospital and nursing home group officials said they supported making the information public but were concerned that the reports' technical language would mislead consumers (LaMendola, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 8/13).