House Bill 2253

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    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                HB 2253

        By Representative Rayson






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the district managed care

  3         ombudsman committees; amending s. 641.65, F.S.;

  4         revising procedure for receipt, investigation,

  5         and resolution of complaints within a

  6         district's jurisdiction; revising conditions

  7         for committee visits to the site of a

  8         complaint; amending s. 641.70, F.S.; revising

  9         requirements for support services to be

10         provided by the Agency for Health Care

11         Administration to the committees; providing an

12         appropriation; providing an effective date.

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

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16         Section 1.  Paragraphs (b) and (c) of subsection (6) of

17  section 641.65, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:

18         641.65  District managed care ombudsman committees.--

19         (6)  Each district committee or member of the

20  committee:

21         (b)  Shall receive complaints regarding quality of care

22  directly from a complainant within its jurisdiction and shall

23  investigate and act on the complaint to seek resolution. If

24  the committee cannot resolve the complaint, the complaint

25  shall immediately be referred to the agency for agency action

26  and final resolution from the agency, and may assist the

27  agency with the resolution of complaints.

28         (c)  Shall conduct visits, following the approval of no

29  less than three members of the committee, to the site of any

30  complaints within its jurisdiction as it finds appropriate May

31  conduct site visits with the agency, as the agency determines

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    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                HB 2253

    288-211-99






  1  is appropriate. A complaint may be referred by the agency to

  2  the committee, as to whether an enrollee's managed care

  3  program may have inappropriately denied the enrollee a covered

  4  medical service, may be inappropriately delaying the provision

  5  of a covered medical service to the enrollee, or is providing

  6  substandard covered medical services.  The committee shall

  7  establish and follow uniform criteria in reviewing information

  8  and receiving complaints.

  9         Section 2.  Subsection (2) of section 641.70, Florida

10  Statutes, is amended to read:

11         641.70  Agency duties relating to the Statewide Managed

12  Care Ombudsman Committee and the district managed care

13  ombudsman committees.--

14         (2)  The agency for Health Care Administration shall

15  provide a meeting place for district committees in agency

16  offices and shall provide the necessary administrative staff

17  and equipment, such as computers, desks, telephones, and

18  supplies, and a hotline telephone number publicized throughout

19  each district support to assist the statewide committee and

20  district committees in performing their duties and

21  responsibilities, within available resources.

22         Section 3.  There is hereby appropriated from the

23  General Revenue Fund to the Agency for Health Care

24  Administration sufficient funds to provide the services

25  described in s. 641.70(2), Florida Statutes, as amended by

26  this act, to each district managed care ombudsman committee

27  for the performance of its duties and responsibilities.

28         Section 4.  This act shall take effect July 1, 1999.

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    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                HB 2253

    288-211-99






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  2                          HOUSE SUMMARY

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      Provides circumstances under which the district managed
  4    care ombudsman committees, rather than the Agency for
      Health Care Administration, shall receive complaints
  5    directly, investigate them, seek to resolve them, and
      conduct site visits. Provides for referral of unresolved
  6    complaints to the agency. Revises requirements for the
      support services the agency must provide the committees.
  7    Provides an appropriation.

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