Senate Bill sb2092c1

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    Florida Senate - 2001                           CS for SB 2092

    By the Committee on Health, Aging and Long-Term Care; and
    Senator Sanderson




    317-1655-01

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to hospitals and community

  3         hospital education; amending ss. 381.0403,

  4         409.908, F.S.; transferring the community

  5         hospital education program from the Board of

  6         Regents to the Department of Health;

  7         prescribing membership of a committee reporting

  8         on graduate medical education; amending s.

  9         409.911, F.S.; redefining the term "charity

10         care" or "uncompensated charity care" for

11         purposes of the disproportionate share program;

12         amending s. 409.9117, F.S.; revising

13         eligibility criteria for payments under the

14         primary care disproportionate share program;

15         providing an effective date.

16

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

18

19         Section 1.  Subsections (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), and

20  (9) of section 381.0403, Florida Statutes, are amended to

21  read:

22         381.0403  The Community Hospital Education Act.--

23         (3)  PROGRAM FOR COMMUNITY HOSPITAL EDUCATION; STATE

24  AND LOCAL PLANNING.--

25         (a)  There is established under the Department of

26  Health Board of Regents a program for statewide graduate

27  medical education.  It is intended that continuing graduate

28  medical education programs for interns and residents be

29  established on a statewide basis. The program shall provide

30  financial support for primary care specialty interns and

31  residents based on policies recommended and approved by the

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  1  Community Hospital Education Council, herein established, and

  2  the Department of Health Board of Regents. Only those programs

  3  with at least three residents or interns in each year of the

  4  training program are qualified to apply for financial support.

  5  Programs with fewer than three residents or interns per

  6  training year are qualified to apply for financial support,

  7  but only if the appropriate accrediting entity for the

  8  particular specialty has approved the program for fewer

  9  positions. Programs added after fiscal year 1997-1998 shall

10  have 5 years to attain the requisite number of residents or

11  interns. When feasible and to the extent allowed through the

12  General Appropriations Act, state funds shall be used to

13  generate federal matching funds under Medicaid, or other

14  federal programs, and the resulting combined state and federal

15  funds shall be allocated to participating hospitals for the

16  support of graduate medical education. The department may

17  spend up to $75,000 of the state appropriation, for

18  administrative costs associated with the production of the

19  annual report as specified in subsection (9), and for

20  administration of the council.

21         (b)  For the purposes of this section, primary care

22  specialties include emergency medicine, family practice,

23  internal medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry,

24  obstetrics/gynecology, and combined pediatrics and internal

25  medicine, and other primary care specialties as may be

26  included by the council and Department of Health Board of

27  Regents.

28         (c)  Medical institutions throughout the state may

29  apply to the Community Hospital Education Council for

30  grants-in-aid for financial support of their approved

31  programs.  Recommendations for funding of approved programs

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  1  shall be forwarded to the Department of Health Board of

  2  Regents.

  3         (d)  The program shall provide a plan for community

  4  clinical teaching and training with the cooperation of the

  5  medical profession, hospitals, and clinics.  The plan shall

  6  also include formal teaching opportunities for intern and

  7  resident training.  In addition, the plan shall establish an

  8  off-campus medical faculty with university faculty review to

  9  be located throughout the state in local communities.

10         (4)  PROGRAM FOR GRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION

11  INNOVATIONS.--

12         (a)  There is established under the Department of

13  Health Board of Regents a program for fostering graduate

14  medical education innovations. Funds appropriated annually by

15  the Legislature for this purpose shall be distributed to

16  participating hospitals or consortia of participating

17  hospitals and Florida medical schools or to a Florida medical

18  school for the direct costs of providing graduate medical

19  education in community-based clinical settings on a

20  competitive grant or formula basis to achieve state health

21  care workforce policy objectives, including, but not limited

22  to:

23         1.  Increasing the number of residents in primary care

24  and other high demand specialties or fellowships;

25         2.  Enhancing retention of primary care physicians in

26  Florida practice;

27         3.  Promoting practice in medically underserved areas

28  of the state;

29         4.  Encouraging racial and ethnic diversity within the

30  state's physician workforce; and

31         5.  Encouraging increased production of geriatricians.

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  1         (b)  Participating hospitals or consortia of

  2  participating hospitals and Florida medical schools or a

  3  Florida medical school providing graduate medical education in

  4  community-based clinical settings may apply to the Community

  5  Hospital Education Council for funding under this innovations

  6  program, except when such innovations directly compete with

  7  services or programs provided by participating hospitals or

  8  consortia of participating hospitals, or by both hospitals and

  9  consortia. Innovations program funding shall provide funding

10  based on policies recommended and approved by the Community

11  Hospital Education Council and the Department of Health Board

12  of Regents.

13         (c)  Participating hospitals or consortia of

14  participating hospitals and Florida medical schools or Florida

15  medical schools awarded an innovations grant shall provide the

16  Community Hospital Education Council and Department of Health

17  Board of Regents with an annual report on their project.

18         (5)  FAMILY PRACTICE RESIDENCIES.--In addition to the

19  programs established in subsection (3), the Community Hospital

20  Education Council and the Department of Health Board of

21  Regents shall establish an ongoing statewide program of family

22  practice residencies.  The administration of this program

23  shall be in the manner described in this section.

24         (6)  COUNCIL AND DIRECTOR.--

25         (a)  There is established the Community Hospital

26  Education Council, hereinafter referred to as the council,

27  which shall consist of 11 members, as follows:

28         1.  Seven members must be program directors of

29  accredited graduate medical education programs or practicing

30  physicians who have faculty appointments in accredited

31  graduate medical education programs.  Six of these members

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  1  must be board certified or board eligible in family practice,

  2  internal medicine, pediatrics, emergency medicine,

  3  obstetrics-gynecology, and psychiatry, respectively, and

  4  licensed pursuant to chapter 458. No more than one of these

  5  members may be appointed from any one specialty.  One member

  6  must be licensed pursuant to chapter 459.

  7         2.  One member must be a representative of the

  8  administration of a hospital with an approved community

  9  hospital medical education program;

10         3.  One member must be the dean of a medical school in

11  this state; and

12         4.  Two members must be consumer representatives.

13

14  All of the members shall be appointed by the Governor for

15  terms of 4 years each.

16         (b)  Council membership shall cease when a member's

17  representative status no longer exists.  Members of similar

18  representative status shall be appointed to replace retiring

19  or resigning members of the council.

20         (c)  The Secretary of the Department of Health

21  Chancellor of the State University System shall designate an

22  administrator to serve as staff director.  The council shall

23  elect a chair from among its membership.  Such other personnel

24  as may be necessary to carry out the program shall be employed

25  as authorized by the Department of Health Board of Regents.

26         (7)  DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH BOARD OF REGENTS;

27  STANDARDS.--

28         (a)  The Department of Health Board of Regents, with

29  recommendations from the council, shall establish standards

30  and policies for the use and expenditure of graduate medical

31  education funds appropriated pursuant to subsection (8) for a

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  1  program of community hospital education.  The Department of

  2  Health board shall establish requirements for hospitals to be

  3  qualified for participation in the program which shall

  4  include, but not be limited to:

  5         1.  Submission of an educational plan and a training

  6  schedule.

  7         2.  A determination by the council to ascertain that

  8  each portion of the program of the hospital provides a high

  9  degree of academic excellence and is accredited by the

10  Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education of the

11  American Medical Association or is accredited by the American

12  Osteopathic Association.

13         3.  Supervision of the educational program of the

14  hospital by a physician who is not the hospital administrator.

15         (b)  The Department of Health Board of Regents shall

16  periodically review the educational program provided by a

17  participating hospital to assure that the program includes a

18  reasonable amount of both formal and practical training and

19  that the formal sessions are presented as scheduled in the

20  plan submitted by each hospital.

21         (c)  In years that funds are transferred to the Agency

22  for Health Care Administration, the Department of Health Board

23  of Regents shall certify to the Agency for Health Care

24  Administration on a quarterly basis the number of primary care

25  specialty residents and interns at each of the participating

26  hospitals for which the Community Hospital Education Council

27  and the board recommends funding.

28         (9)  ANNUAL REPORT ON GRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION;

29  COMMITTEE.--The Board of Regents, the Executive Office of the

30  Governor, the Department of Health, and the Agency for Health

31  Care Administration shall collaborate to establish a committee

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  1  that shall produce an annual report on graduate medical

  2  education. The committee shall be comprised of 11 members:

  3  five members shall be deans of the medical schools or their

  4  designees; the Governor shall appoint two members, one of whom

  5  must be a representative of the Florida Medical Association

  6  who has supervised or currently supervises residents or

  7  interns and one of whom must be a representative of the

  8  Florida Hospital Association; the Secretary of Health Care

  9  Administration shall appoint two members, one of whom must be

10  a representative of a statutory teaching hospital and one of

11  whom must be a physician who has supervised or is currently

12  supervising residents or interns; and the Secretary of Health

13  shall appoint two members, one of whom must be a

14  representative of a statutory family practice teaching

15  hospital and one of whom must be a physician who has

16  supervised or is currently supervising residents or interns.

17  With the exception of the deans, members shall serve 4-year

18  terms. In order to stagger the terms, the Governor's

19  appointees shall serve initial terms of 4 years, the Secretary

20  of Health's appointees shall serve initial terms of 3 years,

21  and the Secretary of Health Care Administration's appointees

22  shall serve initial terms of 2 years. A member's term shall be

23  deemed terminated when the member's representative status no

24  longer exists. Once the committee is appointed, it shall elect

25  a chair to serve for a 1-year term. To the maximum extent

26  feasible, the committee shall have the same membership as the

27  Graduate Medical Education Study Committee, established by

28  proviso accompanying Specific Appropriation 191 of the

29  1999-2000 General Appropriations Act. The report shall be

30  provided to the Governor, the President of Senate, and the

31  Speaker of the House of Representatives by January 15

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  1  annually. Committee members shall serve without compensation.

  2  From the funds provided pursuant to subsection (3), the

  3  committee is authorized to expend a maximum of $75,000 per

  4  year to provide for administrative costs and contractual

  5  services. The report shall address the following:

  6         (a)  The role of residents and medical faculty in the

  7  provision of health care.

  8         (b)  The relationship of graduate medical education to

  9  the state's physician workforce.

10         (c)  The costs of training medical residents for

11  hospitals, medical schools, teaching hospitals, including all

12  hospital-medical affiliations, practice plans at all of the

13  medical schools, and municipalities.

14         (d)  The availability and adequacy of all sources of

15  revenue to support graduate medical education and recommend

16  alternative sources of funding for graduate medical education.

17         (e)  The use of state and federal appropriated funds

18  for graduate medical education by hospitals receiving such

19  funds.

20         Section 2.  All statutory powers, duties, and functions

21  and the records, personnel, property, and unexpended balances

22  of appropriations, allocations, or other funds of the

23  Community Hospital Education Program are transferred from the

24  Board of Regents to the Department of Health by a type two

25  transfer as defined in section 20.06, Florida Statutes.

26         Section 3.  Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section

27  409.908, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

28         409.908  Reimbursement of Medicaid providers.--Subject

29  to specific appropriations, the agency shall reimburse

30  Medicaid providers, in accordance with state and federal law,

31  according to methodologies set forth in the rules of the

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  1  agency and in policy manuals and handbooks incorporated by

  2  reference therein. These methodologies may include fee

  3  schedules, reimbursement methods based on cost reporting,

  4  negotiated fees, competitive bidding pursuant to s. 287.057,

  5  and other mechanisms the agency considers efficient and

  6  effective for purchasing services or goods on behalf of

  7  recipients. Payment for Medicaid compensable services made on

  8  behalf of Medicaid eligible persons is subject to the

  9  availability of moneys and any limitations or directions

10  provided for in the General Appropriations Act or chapter 216.

11  Further, nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent

12  or limit the agency from adjusting fees, reimbursement rates,

13  lengths of stay, number of visits, or number of services, or

14  making any other adjustments necessary to comply with the

15  availability of moneys and any limitations or directions

16  provided for in the General Appropriations Act, provided the

17  adjustment is consistent with legislative intent.

18         (1)  Reimbursement to hospitals licensed under part I

19  of chapter 395 must be made prospectively or on the basis of

20  negotiation.

21         (a)  Reimbursement for inpatient care is limited as

22  provided for in s. 409.905(5), except for:

23         1.  The raising of rate reimbursement caps, excluding

24  rural hospitals.

25         2.  Recognition of the costs of graduate medical

26  education.

27         3.  Other methodologies recognized in the General

28  Appropriations Act.

29

30  During the years funds are transferred from the Department of

31  Health Board of Regents, any reimbursement supported by such

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  1  funds shall be subject to certification by the Department of

  2  Health Board of Regents that the hospital has complied with s.

  3  381.0403. The agency is authorized to receive funds from state

  4  entities, including, but not limited to, the Department of

  5  Health, the Board of Regents, local governments, and other

  6  local political subdivisions, for the purpose of making

  7  special exception payments, including federal matching funds,

  8  through the Medicaid inpatient reimbursement methodologies.

  9  Funds received from state entities or local governments for

10  this purpose shall be separately accounted for and shall not

11  be commingled with other state or local funds in any manner.

12  Notwithstanding this section and s. 409.915, counties are

13  exempt from contributing toward the cost of the special

14  exception reimbursement for hospitals serving a

15  disproportionate share of low-income persons and providing

16  graduate medical education.

17         (b)  Reimbursement for hospital outpatient care is

18  limited to $1,500 per state fiscal year per recipient, except

19  for:

20         1.  Such care provided to a Medicaid recipient under

21  age 21, in which case the only limitation is medical

22  necessity.

23         2.  Renal dialysis services.

24         3.  Other exceptions made by the agency.

25

26  The agency is authorized to receive funds from state entities,

27  including, but not limited to, the Board of Regents, local

28  governments, and other local political subdivisions, for the

29  purpose of making payments, including federal matching funds,

30  through the Medicaid outpatient reimbursement methodologies.

31  Funds received from state entities and local governments for

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  1  this purpose shall be separately accounted for and shall not

  2  be commingled with other state or local funds in any manner.

  3         (c)  Hospitals that provide services to a

  4  disproportionate share of low-income Medicaid recipients, or

  5  that participate in the regional perinatal intensive care

  6  center program under chapter 383, or that participate in the

  7  statutory teaching hospital disproportionate share program may

  8  receive additional reimbursement. The total amount of payment

  9  for disproportionate share hospitals shall be fixed by the

10  General Appropriations Act. The computation of these payments

11  must be made in compliance with all federal regulations and

12  the methodologies described in ss. 409.911, 409.9112, and

13  409.9113.

14         (d)  The agency is authorized to limit inflationary

15  increases for outpatient hospital services as directed by the

16  General Appropriations Act.

17         Section 4.  Paragraph (d) of subsection (1) of section

18  409.911, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

19         409.911  Disproportionate share program.--Subject to

20  specific allocations established within the General

21  Appropriations Act and any limitations established pursuant to

22  chapter 216, the agency shall distribute, pursuant to this

23  section, moneys to hospitals providing a disproportionate

24  share of Medicaid or charity care services by making quarterly

25  Medicaid payments as required. Notwithstanding the provisions

26  of s. 409.915, counties are exempt from contributing toward

27  the cost of this special reimbursement for hospitals serving a

28  disproportionate share of low-income patients.

29         (1)  Definitions.--As used in this section and s.

30  409.9112:

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  1         (d)  "Charity care" or "uncompensated charity care"

  2  means that portion of hospital charges reported to the Agency

  3  for Health Care Administration for which there is no

  4  compensation, other than restricted or unrestricted revenues

  5  provided to a hospital by local governments or tax districts

  6  regardless of the method of payment, for care provided to a

  7  patient whose family income for the 12 months preceding the

  8  determination is less than or equal to 200 150 percent of the

  9  federal poverty level, unless the amount of hospital charges

10  due from the patient exceeds 25 percent of the annual family

11  income.  However, in no case shall the hospital charges for a

12  patient whose family income exceeds four times the federal

13  poverty level for a family of four be considered charity.

14         Section 5.  Paragraph (c) of subsection (2) of section

15  409.9117, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

16         409.9117  Primary care disproportionate share

17  program.--

18         (2)  In the establishment and funding of this program,

19  the agency shall use the following criteria in addition to

20  those specified in s. 409.911, payments may not be made to a

21  hospital unless the hospital agrees to:

22         (c)  Coordinate and provide primary care services free

23  of charge, except copayments, to all persons with incomes up

24  to 100 percent of the federal poverty level who are not

25  otherwise covered by Medicaid or another program administered

26  by a governmental entity, and to provide such services based

27  on a sliding fee scale to all persons with incomes up to 200

28  percent of the federal poverty level who are not otherwise

29  covered by Medicaid or another program administered by a

30  governmental entity, except that eligibility may be limited to

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  1  persons who reside within a more limited area, as agreed to by

  2  the agency and the hospital.

  3         Section 6.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2001.

  4

  5          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
  6                         Senate Bill 2092

  7

  8  The Committee Substitute amends s. 409.911, F.S., relating to
    the Medicaid disproportionate share program, to revise the
  9  definition of "charity care" or "uncompensated charity care"
    for purposes of the Medicaid disproportionate share program to
10  mean that portion of hospital charges reported to the Agency
    for Health Care Administration for which there is no
11  compensation other than restricted or unrestricted revenues
    provided to a hospital by local governments or tax districts
12  regardless of the method of payment for care provided to a
    patient whose family income for the 12 months preceding the
13  determination is less than or equal to 200 percent rather than
    150 percent of the federal poverty level, unless the amount of
14  hospital charges due from the patient exceeds 25 percent of
    the annual family income.
15
    The Committee Substitute transfers by a type-two transfer
16  defined in s. 20.06, F.S., the Community Hospital Education
    Program from the Board of Regents to the Department of Health.
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