House Bill 2213

    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 2213

        By Representative Ogles






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to clinical laboratory

  3         services; amending s. 483.181, F.S.;

  4         authorizing clinical laboratories to provide

  5         their referral sources with specimen handlers,

  6         subject to certain restrictions; amending s.

  7         483.824, F.S.; revising qualifications of

  8         clinical laboratory directors; providing an

  9         effective date.

10

11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

12

13         Section 1.  Subsection (6) is added to section 483.181,

14  Florida Statutes, to read:

15         483.181  Acceptance, collection, identification, and

16  examination of specimens.--

17         (6)  It shall not be considered a commission, bonus,

18  kickback, rebate, split fee, bribe, improper referral

19  incentive or inducement, patient brokering, or any other

20  manner of illegal payment whatsoever for a clinical laboratory

21  licensed under this part to provide an individual or

22  individuals to handle specimens, at no charge, to sources of

23  referrals to the clinical laboratory, including, but not

24  limited to, physicians and dialysis facilities, so long as the

25  specimen handler's duties are consistent with those in a

26  clinical laboratory when it collects specimens and the

27  specimen handler does not perform duties unrelated to specimen

28  handling that are normally the responsibility of the referral

29  source's own staff, including, but not limited to, clerical

30  services, taking vital signs or other nursing functions, or

31  testing for the referral source's own laboratories.

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 2213

    520-214-00






  1         Section 2.  Section 483.824, Florida Statutes, is

  2  amended to read:

  3         483.824  Qualifications of clinical laboratory

  4  director.--A clinical laboratory director must have 4 years of

  5  clinical laboratory experience with 2 years of experience in

  6  the specialty to be directed or be nationally board certified

  7  in the specialty to be directed, and must meet one of the

  8  following requirements:

  9         (1)  Be a physician licensed under chapter 458 or

10  chapter 459;

11         (2)  Hold an earned doctoral degree in a chemical,

12  physical, or biological science from a regionally accredited

13  institution and maintain national certification requirements

14  equal to those required by the federal Health Care Financing

15  Administration be nationally certified; or

16         (3)  For the subspecialty of oral pathology, be a

17  physician licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459 or a

18  dentist licensed under chapter 466.

19         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2000.

20

21            *****************************************

22                          HOUSE SUMMARY

23
      Authorizes clinical laboratories to provide their
24    referral sources with specimen handlers, who shall be
      provided at no charge and restricted to specimen handling
25    duties consistent with those of the providing laboratory.
      Revises qualifications of clinical laboratory directors
26    to require that they maintain national certification
      requirements equal to those required by the federal
27    Health Care Financing Administration.

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