The Florida Senate

392.62  Hospitalization and placement programs.--

(1)  The department shall operate a program for the hospitalization of persons who have active tuberculosis in hospitals licensed under chapter 395 and may provide for appropriate placement of persons who have active tuberculosis in other health care facilities or residential facilities.

(2)  The department may operate a licensed hospital for the care and treatment to cure of persons who have active tuberculosis. The hospital may have a forensic unit where, under medical protocol, a patient can be held in a secure or protective setting. The department shall also seek to maximize use of existing licensed community hospitals for the care and treatment to cure of persons who have active tuberculosis.

(3)  Any licensed hospital operated by the department, any licensed hospital under contract with the department, and any other health care facility or residential facility operated by or under contract with the department for the care and treatment of patients who have active tuberculosis shall:

(a)  Admit patients voluntarily and under court order as appropriate for each particular facility;

(b)  Require that each patient pay the actual cost of care provided whether the patient is admitted voluntarily or by court order;

(c)  Provide for a method of paying for the care of patients who cannot afford to do so;

(d)  Require a primary clinical diagnosis of active tuberculosis by a physician licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459 before admitting the patient; provided that there may be more than one primary diagnosis;

(e)  Provide a method of notification to the county health department and to the patient's family, if any, before discharging the patient from the hospital or other facility;

(f)  Provide for the necessary exchange of medical information to assure adequate community treatment to cure and followup of discharged patients, as appropriate; and

(g)  Provide for a method of medical care and counseling and for housing, social service, and employment referrals, if appropriate, for all patients discharged from the hospital.

(4)  A hospital may, pursuant to court order, place a patient in temporary isolation for a period of no more than 72 continuous hours. The department shall obtain a court order in the same manner as prescribed in s. 392.57 Nothing in this subsection precludes a hospital from isolating an infectious patient for medical reasons.

(5)  Any person committed under s. 392.57 who leaves the tuberculosis hospital or residential facility without having been discharged by the designated medical authority, except as provided in s. 392.63, shall be apprehended by the sheriff of the county in which the person is found and immediately delivered to the facility from which he or she left.

History.--s. 1, ch. 88-389; s. 1, ch. 88-398; s. 13, ch. 94-320; s. 1043, ch. 95-148; s. 97, ch. 97-101; s. 36, ch. 97-237.