Senate Bill 0890c1

    Florida Senate - 1999                            CS for SB 890

    By the Committee on Health, Aging and Long-Term Care; and
    Senators Mitchell, Geller, Childers, Cowin, Thomas,
    Kirkpatrick, Jones and Rossin



    317-1920A-99

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to rural hospital capital

  3         improvement; creating s. 395.6061, F.S.;

  4         providing a mechanism for the disbursement of

  5         funds to rural hospitals; providing application

  6         requirements; prescribing uses of the fund;

  7         providing duties of the Department of Health;

  8         providing rulemaking authority for the

  9         establishment of criteria for the disbursement

10         of grant funds; providing an effective date.

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

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14         Section 1.  Section 395.6061, Florida Statutes, is

15  created to read:

16         395.6061  Rural hospital capital improvement.--There is

17  established a rural hospital capital improvement grant

18  program.

19         (1)  A rural hospital as defined in s. 395.602 may

20  apply to the department for a grant. The grant application

21  must provide information that includes:

22         (a)  A statement indicating the problem the rural

23  hospital proposes to solve with the grant funds;

24         (b)  The strategy proposed to resolve the problem;

25         (c)  The organizational structure, financial system,

26  and facilities that are essential to the proposed solution;

27         (d)  The projected longevity of the proposed solution

28  after the grant funds are expended;

29         (e)  Evidence of participation in a rural health

30  network as defined in s. 381.0406;

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






    Florida Senate - 1999                            CS for SB 890
    317-1920A-99




  1         (f)  Evidence that the rural hospital has difficulty in

  2  obtaining funding or that funds available for the proposed

  3  solution are inadequate;

  4         (g)  Evidence that the grant funds will assist in

  5  maintaining or returning the hospital to an economically

  6  stable condition or that any plan for closure or realignment

  7  of services will involve development of innovative

  8  alternatives for the discontinued services;

  9         (h)  Evidence of a satisfactory record-keeping system

10  to account for grant fund expenditures within the rural

11  county;

12         (i)  A rural health network plan that includes a

13  description of how the plan was developed, the goals of the

14  plan, the links with existing health care providers under the

15  plan, indicators quantifying the hospital's financial

16  well-being, measurable outcome targets, and the current

17  physical and operational condition of the hospital.

18         (2)  Each rural hospital as defined in s. 395.602 shall

19  receive a minimum of $100,000 annually, subject to legislative

20  appropriation, upon application to the Department of Health,

21  for projects to acquire, repair, improve, or upgrade systems,

22  facilities, or equipment.

23         (3)  Any remaining funds shall annually be disbursed to

24  rural hospitals in accordance with this section. The

25  Department of Health shall establish, by rule, criteria for

26  awarding grants for any remaining funds, which must be used

27  exclusively for the support and assistance of rural hospitals

28  as defined in s. 395.602, including criteria relating to the

29  level of uncompensated care rendered by the hospital, the

30  participation in a rural health network as defined in s.

31  381.0406, and the proposed use of the grant by the rural

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






    Florida Senate - 1999                            CS for SB 890
    317-1920A-99




  1  hospital to resolve a specific problem. The department must

  2  consider any information submitted in an application for the

  3  grants in accordance with subsection (1) in determining

  4  eligibility for and the amount of the grant, and none of the

  5  individual items of information by itself may be used to deny

  6  grant eligibility.

  7         (4)  The department shall ensure that the funds are

  8  used solely for the purposes specified in this section.

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

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11          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
12                         Senate Bill 890

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14  The committee substitute creates the rural hospital capital
    improvement grant program and provides a mechanism for a rural
15  hospital to apply for a grant from the Department of Health.
    Each rural hospital as defined in s. 395.602, Florida
16  Statutes, must receive a minimum of $100,000 annually, subject
    to legislative appropriation, upon application to the
17  Department of Health, for projects to acquire, repair,
    improve, or upgrade systems, facilities, or equipment. The
18  Department of Health must establish, by rule, criteria for
    awarding grants for any remaining funds, which must be used
19  exclusively for the support and assistance of rural hospitals.

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