BATON ROUGE - A bill that passed the Senate plans to change the definition of a health care provider in Louisiana, including those who work in administrative, managerial roles, or as support staff.

Critics of the bill have dubbed it the ‘Bob Dean Protection Act’, naming it after the man who abandoned more than 800 nursing home residents in warehouses during Hurricane Ida.

More than three years ago, hundreds of nursing home patients were left in unsanitary warehouses during Hurricane Ida. Investigators determined that patients received improper care and lived in inadequate conditions. Afterward, many patients or their families filed lawsuits against Dean.

“What happened with Bob Dean's nursing homes after Hurricane Ida was a spectacular example of neglect, mismanagement, and administrative negligence," Chip Wagar with the Patient Rights Advocacy Forum said. 

State Sen. Thomas Pressley, R-Shreveport, says the bill would change the definition of a health care provider. People who perform administrative duties and provide care in a supporting capacity would be included.

The goal, as Pressley described, would be to clean up definitions and reduce the number of lawsuits filed directly against nursing home management companies.

"From everything I've read in media accounts and everything I've read in the pleadings, everything that's alleged against Mr. Dean is not just a mere accident,” Pressley said. "It's much, much worse."

Pressley says Dean intentionally mistreated the residents, which he says would not have protected him under the proposed legislation. He says clarity is needed to clarify that managers should be included in the Medical Malpractice Act.

Wagar said more healthcare workers will be covered by the state’s malpractice laws if the bill passes, and that would limit how much can be paid out after a successful lawsuit.

“They want to get under the medical malpractice so that no matter what the injury or death is, the maximum they have to pay is $100,000,” Wagar said. “They don't want to be held accountable for that, that's why we're here."

The measure passed the Senate 26 to 11 and will head to the House for consideration.