House Bill 0851

    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                 HB 851

        By Representatives Cosgrove and Sorensen






  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 for future review and repeal;

  8         providing an effective date.

  9

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

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

13  Statutes, 1998 Supplement, is amended to read.

14         408.07  Definitions.--As used in this chapter, with the

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

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

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

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

19  the United States Census, and which is:

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

21  population density of no greater than 100 persons per square

22  mile;

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

24  population density of no greater than 100 persons per square

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

26  traveled roads under normal traffic conditions, from another

27  acute care hospital within the same county; or

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

29  subdistrict whose boundaries encompass a population of 100

30  persons or fewer per square mile; or

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






    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                 HB 851

    141-470A-99






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

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

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

  4  that was directly impacted by a catastrophic event on August

  5  24, 1992, for which the Governor of Florida declared a state

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

  7  that serves an agricultural community with an emergency room

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

  9  in-patient utilization rate greater than 15 percent.

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11  Population densities used in this subsection must be based

12  upon the most recently completed United States census.

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

14  and shall stand repealed effective July 1, 2006, unless

15  reviewed and readopted by the Legislature prior to that date.

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18                          HOUSE SUMMARY

19
      Redefines the term "rural hospital" for the purpose of
20    state law governing health care administration to include
      a hospital in a constitutional charter county with a
21    population of over 1 million persons that has imposed a
      local option health service tax pursuant to law and in an
22    area that was directly impacted by a catastrophic event
      on August 24, 1992, for which the Governor of Florida
23    declared a state of emergency pursuant to chapter 125,
      F.S., and has 120 beds or less that serves an
24    agricultural community with an emergency room utilization
      of no less than 20,000 visits and a Medicaid in-patient
25    utilization rate greater than 15 percent. Provides for
      repeal on July 1, 2006, unless reviewed and readopted by
26    the Legislature prior to that date.

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