July 14, 2025
A new Florida law was just passed that will significantly change the state’s nursing homes. The law, which will go into effect over the next year, sets higher expectations for medical directors and introduces stronger accountability measures for monitoring patient safety culture.
Under Section 6(b) of the new law, by January 1, 2026, nursing home medical directors must hold, or be actively pursuing, certification as a Certified Medical Director through PALTmed or an equivalent credential recognized by the state’s Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA).
This move raises the bar for clinical leadership in nursing homes, aiming to ensure that medical directors have specialized training and professional credentials directly relevant to long-term care. To increase transparency, AHCA will also publish each facility’s medical director’s name on its online provider profiles. PALTmed has long supported full transparency of nursing home medical directors, advocating for clear public access to information about who is responsible for residents’ medical oversight.
Additionally, the new law mandates that all Florida nursing homes must assess and monitor their internal culture around patient safety. Specifically, facilities must conduct an anonymous patient safety culture survey at least every two years, using the federal Survey on Patient Safety Culture developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
Facilities can choose to work with a third-party vendor to administer the survey, ensuring that staff members feel comfortable providing honest feedback. Results must be submitted to AHCA along with the participation rate, providing the agency with insight into each facility’s commitment to patient safety.
Between surveys, nursing homes are encouraged to develop internal action plans to address areas needing improvement and may submit these plans to the state as part of their ongoing quality improvement efforts.
Core Curriculum on Medical Direction
