The Florida Senate

400.165  Itemized resident billing, form and content prescribed by the agency.--

(1)  Within 7 days following discharge or release from a nursing home, or within 7 days after the earliest date at which the cost of all goods or services provided on behalf of the resident are billed to the facility, the nursing home shall submit to the resident, or to his or her survivor or legal guardian, an itemized statement detailing in language comprehensible to an ordinary layperson the specific nature of charges or expenses incurred by the resident. The initial billing shall contain a statement of specific services received and expenses incurred for such items of service, enumerating in detail the constituent components of the services received within each department of the nursing home and including unit price data on rates charged by the nursing home as may be prescribed by the agency.

(2)  Each statement shall:

(a)  Not include charges of nursing home-based physicians if billed separately.

(b)  Not include any generalized category of expenses such as "other" or "miscellaneous" or similar categories.

(c)  List drugs by brand or generic name and may not refer to drug code numbers when referring to drugs of any sort.

(d)  Specifically identify therapy treatment as to the date, type, and length of treatment when therapy treatment is a part of the statement. The person receiving a statement pursuant to this section shall be fully and accurately informed as to each charge and service provided by the institution preparing the statement.

(3)  On each itemized statement there shall appear the words "A FOR-PROFIT (or NOT-FOR-PROFIT or PUBLIC) NURSING HOME LICENSED BY THE STATE OF FLORIDA" or substantially similar words sufficient to identify clearly and plainly the ownership status of the nursing home.

(4)  In any billing for services subsequent to the initial billing for such services, the resident, or the resident's survivor or legal guardian, may elect, at his or her option, to receive a copy of the detailed statement of specific services received and expenses incurred for each such item of service as provided in subsection (1).

(5)  No physician, dentist, or nursing home may add to the price charged by any third party except for a service or handling charge representing a cost actually incurred as an item of expense; however, the physician, dentist, or nursing home is entitled to fair compensation for all professional services rendered. The amount of the service or handling charge, if any, shall be set forth clearly in the bill to the resident.

History.--ss. 22, 27, ch. 82-182; ss. 21, 79, 81, 83, ch. 83-181; s. 30, ch. 93-177; ss. 21, 49, ch. 93-217; s. 769, ch. 95-148.

Note.--Former s. 400.425.