Opinion ID: 894688
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Response to Concurrence and Dissent

Text: In his concurrence, CHIEF JUSTICE JEFFERSON disagrees that Rubio's allegations fall within the MLIIA's definition of health care. At 857. CHIEF JUSTICE JEFFERSON would characterize some of Rubio's claimsspecifically, Rubio's allegations concerning Diversicare's failure to protect her from sexual assault, failure to implement adequate safety precautions, and failure to establish appropriate safety and staffing proceduresas premises liability claims or claims for `inadequate security' that are `independent of any medical diagnosis, treatment, or care.' Id. (quoting Robinson v. W. Fla. Reg'l Med. Ctr., 675 So.2d 226, 228 (Fla.Dist.Ct.App.1996)). To the contrary, Rubio's claims implicate more than inadequate security or negligent maintenance. Rubio is not complaining about an unlocked window that gave an intruder access to the facility or a rickety staircase that gave way under her weight. All of her claims arise from acts or omissions that are inseparable from the provision of health care. See Walden, 907 S.W.2d at 448. We do not distinguish Rubio's health care claims from premises liability claims simply because the landowner is a health care provider but because the gravamen of Rubio's complaint is the alleged failure of Diversicare to implement adequate policies to care for, supervise, and protect its residents who require special, medical care. At 855. The dissenting and concurring justices contend that Rubio alleged a common law claim for premises liability independent of her health care liability claim. Their position would open the door to splicing health care liability claims into a multitude of other causes of action with standards of care, damages, and procedures contrary to the Legislature's explicit requirements. It is well settled that such artful pleading and recasting of claims is not permitted. See MacGregor Med. Assoc., 985 S.W.2d at 40; Gormley, 907 S.W.2d at 450; Walden, 907 S.W.2d at 448; Sorokolit, 889 S.W.2d at 242. There may be circumstances that give rise to premises liability claims in a healthcare setting that may not be properly classified as health care liability claims, but those circumstances are not present here. Chief Justice Jefferson also takes issue with the Court's conclusion that specialized knowledge of health care is necessary to physically and psychologically evaluate an inpatient population and determine the types of precautions and staffing levels that are appropriate for use in a particular health care facility. Id. at 858. Instead, he would conclude, as does Rubio, that the occurrence of a patient assault establishes the health care facility's duty and breach of that duty without any specialized analysis of what treatments, policies, or procedures are appropriate to the circumstances and whether they were breached. We have explained at length the medical diagnosis, treatment, and care that nursing homes are required by law to provide to their residents. We recognize that the care will vary with the different physical, mental, and psychosocial conditions presented by the inpatients. The general public is hardly equipped to medically diagnose these inpatients and treat their ailments and infirmities, or determine how to protect the patient population.