Senate Bill sb0594c1
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2005 CS for SB 594
By the Committee on Banking and Insurance; and Senator Fasano
597-2145A-05
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to health insurance; amending
3 s. 627.419, F.S.; providing for payments to a
4 physician assistant under contracts providing
5 for paying for surgical first assisting
6 benefits or services; including certified
7 surgical first assistants, as defined, within
8 certain benefits or services payment
9 provisions; limiting application; providing an
10 effective date.
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12 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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14 Section 1. Subsection (6) of section 627.419, Florida
15 Statutes, is amended to read:
16 627.419 Construction of policies.--
17 (6)(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law,
18 when any health insurance policy, health care services plan,
19 or other contract provides for payment for surgical first
20 assisting benefits or services, the policy, plan, or contract
21 is to be construed as providing for payment to a physician
22 assistant or registered nurse first assistant or employers of
23 a physician assistant or registered nurse first assistant who
24 performs such services that are within the scope of a
25 physician assistant's or a registered nurse first assistant's
26 professional license. The provisions of This paragraph applies
27 subsection apply only if reimbursement for an assisting
28 physician, licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459, would be
29 covered and a physician assistant or a registered nurse first
30 assistant who performs such services is used as a substitute.
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2005 CS for SB 594
597-2145A-05
1 (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, when
2 any health insurance policy, health care services plan, or
3 other contract provides for payment for surgical first
4 assisting benefits or services, the policy, plan, or contract
5 is to be construed as providing for payment to a certified
6 surgical first assistant or to the employer of a certified
7 surgical first assistant who performs such services that are
8 assigned by the supervising physician or osteopathic
9 physician. This paragraph applies only if reimbursement for an
10 assisting physician, licensed under chapter 458 or chapter
11 459, would be covered and the certified surgical first
12 assistant who performs such services is used as a substitute.
13 As used in this paragraph, the term "certified surgical first
14 assistant" means a person who is an unlicensed health care
15 provider that is directly accountable to a physician licensed
16 under chapter 458, an osteopathic physician licensed under
17 chapter 459, or, in the absence of a physician or osteopathic
18 physician, a registered nurse licensed under chapter 464, and
19 who is certified by the National Surgical Assistant
20 Association on the Certification of Surgical Assistants, the
21 Liaison Council on Certification of Surgical Technologists, or
22 the American Board of Surgical Assistants. This paragraph does
23 not require an insurer to reimburse a certified surgical first
24 assistant or the employer of a certified surgical first
25 assistant if payment to the physician, osteopathic physician,
26 or licensed healthcare facility includes the payment of a
27 certified surgical first assistant. The physician to whom the
28 certified surgical first assistant is directly accountable
29 shall be solely responsible for any acts or omissions of the
30 certified surgical first assistant.
31 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2005.
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2005 CS for SB 594
597-2145A-05
1 STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
2 Senate Bill 594
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4 The committee substitute provides the following changes:
5 o Expands the lists of entities that may receive direct
reimbursement from an insurer to include a physician
6 assistant.
7 o Specifies that none of the provisions in the bill would
require an insurer to provide payment to the certified
8 surgical first assistant directly if the insurer's
payment to the physician included the payment of the
9 surgical first assistant.
10 o Requires that the physician to whom the certified
surgical assistant is accountable be solely responsible
11 for the acts and omissions of the certified surgical
first assistant.
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.