Senate Bill sb0702c1

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
    Florida Senate - 2005                            CS for SB 702

    By the Committee on Health and Human Services Appropriations;
    and Senator Peaden




    603-2225-05

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the area health education

  3         center network; amending s. 381.0402, F.S.;

  4         requiring the Department of Health to cooperate

  5         with specified medical schools in maintaining

  6         and evaluating the network; expanding the

  7         purposes of the network; requiring the

  8         department to contract with the medical schools

  9         to provide funds to the network; providing that

10         the persons to be served by the network are

11         "medically underserved populations" rather than

12         "low-income people"; requiring that the center

13         assist in linking the provision of primary care

14         services to medically underserved populations

15         with the education of students in the health

16         care professions and of health care providers

17         serving medically underserved populations, as

18         well as that of medical students, interns, and

19         residents; amending s. 381.0405, F.S.;

20         providing that the Office of Rural Health is

21         responsible for state coordination of federal

22         rural hospital and rural health care grant

23         programs; deleting obsolete provisions;

24         creating s. 381.0409, F.S.; authorizing the

25         Department of Health to coordinate with the

26         Federal Government in carrying out certain

27         activities relating to the recruitment and

28         placement of health practitioners in medically

29         underserved areas; providing an effective date.

30  

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

                                  1

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






    Florida Senate - 2005                            CS for SB 702
    603-2225-05




 1         Section 1.  Section 381.0402, Florida Statutes, is

 2  amended to read:

 3         381.0402  Area health education center network.--The

 4  department, in cooperation with the state-approved medical

 5  schools located in this state which form the area health

 6  education center network in this state, shall maintain and

 7  evaluate organize an area health education center network

 8  focused based on earlier medically indigent demonstration

 9  projects and shall evaluate the impact of each network on

10  improving access to health services by persons who are

11  medically underserved.  The network shall serve as be a

12  catalyst for the primary care training of health professionals

13  by increasing through increased opportunities for training in

14  medically underserved areas, increasing access to primary care

15  services, providing health workforce recruitment, enhancing

16  the quality of health care, and addressing current and

17  emerging public health issues.

18         (1)  The department shall contract with the medical

19  schools to assist in funding the an area health education

20  center network, which links the provision of primary care

21  services to medically underserved populations low-income

22  persons with the education of:

23         (a)  Medical students, interns, and residents. The

24  network shall:

25         (a)  Be coordinated with and under contract with the

26  state-approved medical schools, which shall be responsible for

27  the clinical training and supervision.

28         1.(b)  Divide the state into service areas within the

29  network for with each state-approved medical school

30  coordinating the recruitment recruiting, training, and

31  retention of medical students within its assigned area.

                                  2

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






    Florida Senate - 2005                            CS for SB 702
    603-2225-05




 1         (c)  Use a multidisciplinary approach with appropriate

 2  medical supervision.

 3         2.(d)  Use current community resources, such as county

 4  health departments, federally funded community or migrant

 5  health primary care centers, and or other primary health care

 6  providers, as community-based sites for training medical

 7  students, interns, and residents.

 8         3.  Use a multidisciplinary approach with appropriate

 9  medical supervision.

10         (b)  Students in the health care professions. The

11  network shall:

12         1.  Facilitate the recruitment, training, and retention

13  of students in the health care professions within service

14  areas.

15         2.  Use community resources, such as county health

16  departments, federally funded community or migrant health

17  centers, and other primary health care providers, as sites for

18  training students in the health care professions.

19         3.  Use a multidisciplinary approach with appropriate

20  supervision.

21         (c)  Health care providers serving medically

22  underserved populations. The network shall:

23         1.  Assist providers in medically underserved areas and

24  other safety net providers in remaining current in their

25  fields through a variety of community resource initiatives.

26         2.  Strengthen the health care safety net in this state

27  by enhancing services and increasing access to care in

28  medically underserved areas.

29         3.  Provide other services, such as library and

30  information resources, continuing professional education,

31  

                                  3

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






    Florida Senate - 2005                            CS for SB 702
    603-2225-05




 1  technical assistance, and other support services, for

 2  providers who serve in medically underserved areas.

 3         (2)  The department shall establish criteria and

 4  procedures for quality assurance, performance evaluations,

 5  periodic audits, and other appropriate safeguards for the

 6  network.

 7         (3)  The department shall make every effort to assure

 8  that the network does participating medical schools do not

 9  discriminate among enrollees with respect to age, race, sex,

10  or health status. However, the network such schools may target

11  high-risk medically needy population groups.

12         (4)  The department may use no more than 5 percent of

13  the annual appropriation for administering and evaluating the

14  network.

15         Section 2.  Paragraph (f) of subsection (4) of section

16  381.0405, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

17         381.0405  Office of Rural Health.--

18         (4)  COORDINATION.--The office shall:

19         (f)  Assume responsibility for state coordination of

20  the Rural Hospital Transition Grant Program, the Essential

21  Access Community Hospital Program, and other federal rural

22  hospital and rural health care grant programs.

23         Section 3.  Section 381.0409, Florida Statutes, is

24  created to read:

25         381.0409  Coordination with federal health professional

26  recruitment and placement programs.--The department may

27  coordinate with the Federal Government to designate health

28  professional shortage areas and medically underserved areas,

29  to recommend foreign physicians for visa waivers, to document

30  health professionals working in the public interest, and to

31  

                                  4

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






    Florida Senate - 2005                            CS for SB 702
    603-2225-05




 1  place health care professionals in medically underserved areas

 2  using federally funded recruitment incentive programs.

 3         Section 4.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2005.

 4  

 5          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
 6                         Senate Bill 702

 7                                 

 8  
      -  Requires the department to cooperate with medical schools
 9       in the area Health Education (AHEC) Network and to
         maintain and evaluate the AHEC Network.
10  
      -  Deletes references to specific federal grant programs.
11  
      -  Revises the duties of the Office of Rural Health to
12       authorize the office to coordinate with the federal
         government to designate health professional shortage
13       areas, recommend foreign physicians for visa waivers,
         document health care professionals working in the public
14       interest, and to place professionals using the federally
         funded recruitment incentive programs.
15  

16  

17  

18  

19  

20  

21  

22  

23  

24  

25  

26  

27  

28  

29  

30  

31  

                                  5

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