Florida Senate - 2013                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 488
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Barcode 101366                          
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
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       The Committee on Health Policy (Flores) recommended the
       following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Delete everything after the enacting clause
    4  and insert:
    5         Section 1. Encounter fee reimbursment.—
    6         (1) It is the intent of the Legislature that state funds
    7  used to pay for health care services be allocated in a
    8  responsible and reasonable manner that maximizes the
    9  availability of and access to services provided in public health
   10  facilities. Reportedly, patients often receive piecemeal
   11  services in county health departments on a per visit encounter
   12  fee reimbursement basis, and, after the first visit, are told
   13  that they will have to make multiple appointments for additional
   14  services that could be rendered in one visit, thus maximizing
   15  the amount of encounter fees paid to the health department.
   16  State-funded encounter fee reimbursement can range from $100 to
   17  $180 per visit. It is often more cost-effective and less
   18  intrusive for a patient to receive all treatment needed in one
   19  visit. The Legislature finds that, before authority is granted
   20  that reinforces the encounter reimbursement system, additional
   21  information is needed to determine the validity of and extent of
   22  abuse in this reimbursement method and develop an equitable
   23  solution to addressing the problem, if it is determined that a
   24  problem exists.
   25         (2) The Agency for Health Care Administration, in
   26  consultation with the Department of Health, shall conduct a
   27  study of the efficacy of the encounter fee reimbursement method
   28  used in the county health departments for dental services. The
   29  study must examine encounter fee reimbursements for dental
   30  services provided in county health departments for the past 3
   31  fiscal years and include an analysis of the type, frequency, and
   32  scheduling of specified dental services provided during the
   33  specified timeframe and the amount of funds reimbursed to each
   34  county health department for these services. The study, which
   35  shall be presented to the President of the Senate and the
   36  Speaker of the House of Representatives by January 1, 2016, must
   37  include findings and a recommendation that provides a list of
   38  specific alternative reimbursement methods to be considered in
   39  lieu of the encounter fee reimbursement method.
   40         Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.
   41  
   42  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   43         And the title is amended as follows:
   44         Delete everything before the enacting clause
   45  and insert:
   46                        A bill to be entitled                      
   47         An act relating to encounter reimbursement fees;
   48         providing legislative findings relating to the payment
   49         of encounter reimbursement fees in county health
   50         departments; requiring the Agency for Health Care
   51         Administration, in consultation with the Department of
   52         Health, to conduct a study of the encounter
   53         reimbursement method for the payment of dental
   54         services and to provide findings and recommendations
   55         to the Legislature by a certain date; providing an
   56         effective date.