Senate Bill 1452

    Florida Senate - 1999                                  SB 1452

    By Senator Jones





    40-1551-99                                              See HB

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to rural hospitals; amending s.

  3         408.07, F.S.; redefining the term "rural

  4         hospital" for the purpose of state law

  5         governing health care administration to include

  6         certain hospitals in charter counties;

  7         providing an effective date.

  8

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

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11         Section 1.  Subsection (42) of section 408.07, Florida

12  Statutes, 1998 Supplement, is amended to read.

13         408.07  Definitions.--As used in this chapter, with the

14  exception of ss. 408.031-408.045, the term:

15         (42)  "Rural hospital" means an acute care hospital

16  licensed under chapter 395, having 100 or fewer licensed beds

17  and an emergency room, located in an area defined as rural by

18  the United States Census, and which is:

19         (a)  The sole provider within a county with a

20  population density of no greater than 100 persons per square

21  mile;

22         (b)  An acute care hospital, in a county with a

23  population density of no greater than 100 persons per square

24  mile, which is at least 30 minutes of travel time, on normally

25  traveled roads under normal traffic conditions, from another

26  acute care hospital within the same county; or

27         (c)  A hospital supported by a tax district or

28  subdistrict whose boundaries encompass a population of 100

29  persons or fewer per square mile; or

30         (d)  A hospital in a constitutional charter county with

31  a population of over 1 million persons that has imposed a

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






    Florida Senate - 1999                                  SB 1452
    40-1551-99                                              See HB




  1  local option health service tax pursuant to law and in an area

  2  that was directly impacted by a catastrophic event on August

  3  24, 1992, for which the Governor of Florida declared a state

  4  of emergency pursuant to chapter 125, and has 120 beds or less

  5  that serves an agricultural community with an emergency room

  6  utilization of no less than 20,000 visits and a Medicaid

  7  in-patient utilization rate greater than 15 percent.

  8

  9  Population densities used in this subsection must be based

10  upon the most recently completed United States census.

11         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 1999.

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14                          HOUSE SUMMARY

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      Redefines the term "rural hospital" for the purpose of
16    state law governing health care administration to include
      a hospital in a constitutional charter county with a
17    population of over 1 million persons that has imposed a
      local option health service tax pursuant to law and in an
18    area that was directly impacted by a catastrophic event
      on August 24, 1992, for which the Governor of Florida
19    declared a state of emergency pursuant to chapter 125,
      F.S., and has 120 beds or less that serves an
20    agricultural community with an emergency room utilization
      of no less than 20,000 visits and a Medicaid in-patient
21    utilization rate greater than 15 percent.

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