HB 1733 2003
1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to acute care hospitals; amending s.
3	408.043, F.S.; providing for certain acute care hospitals
4	in high growth counties to add additional beds without the
5	approval of the Agency for Health Care Administration;
6	providing for notice; providing an effective date.
7
8	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
9
10	Section 1. Subsection (5) is added to section 408.043,
11	Florida Statutes, to read:
12	408.043 Special provisions.--
13	(5) SOLE ACUTE CARE HOSPITALS IN HIGH GROWTH
14	COUNTIES.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an acute
15	care hospital licensed under chapter 395 may add up to 180
16	additional beds without agency review if such hospital is
17	located in a county that has experienced at least a 60-percent
18	growth rate for the most recent 10-year period for which data
19	are available as determined by using the population statistics
20	published in the most recent edition of the Florida Statistical
21	Abstract, is the sole acute care hospital in the county, and is
22	the only acute care hospital within a 10-mile radius of another
23	hospital. A hospital shall provide written notice to the agency
24	that it qualifies under this subsection prior to the addition of
25	beds. Such projects shall not be subject to challenge under s.
26	408.039 or chapter 120. Acute care beds added under this
27	subsection shall not be included in the inventory of hospital
28	beds used by the agency in the calculation of the fixed-bed-need
29	pool for acute care hospitals.
30	Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2003.