HB 1273

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to home health services; amending s.
3	400.509, F.S.; exempting organizations that provide
4	certain personal care services from licensure; requiring
5	organizations that provide personal care services to
6	register with the Agency for Health Care Administration
7	and to maintain certain liability insurance coverage;
8	providing an effective date.
9
10	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
11
12	Section 1.  Subsection (1) of section 400.509, Florida
13	Statutes, is amended to read:
14	400.509  Registration of particular service providers
15	exempt from licensure; certificate of registration; regulation
16	of registrants; liability insurance.--
17	(1)(a)  Any organization that provides companion services
18	or homemaker services, or that provides personal care services
19	through employed certified nursing assistants under part II of
20	chapter 464 or through employees who are trained and qualified
21	in providing personal care as determined by the agency under s.
22	400.497(1), and does not provide a home health service other
23	than assisting a patient with bathing, dressing, toileting,
24	grooming, eating, physical transfer, and those normal daily
25	routines the patient could perform for himself or herself if he
26	or she was physically capable to a person is exempt from
27	licensure under this part. However, any organization that
28	provides companion services, or homemaker services, or personal
29	care services must register with the agency.
30	(b)  Any organization that provides personal care services
31	must obtain and maintain liability insurance coverage as defined
32	in s. 624.605(1)(b) in an amount of not less than $250,000 per
33	claim and must submit proof of liability insurance coverage with
34	an initial application for registration and with each annual
35	application for registration renewal.
36	Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2006.

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