House Bill hb1761
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Florida House of Representatives - 2002 HB 1761
By the Committee on Health & Human Services Appropriations
and Representative Farkas
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to access to health and human
3 services; creating s. 408.911, F.S.; providing
4 a short title; creating s. 408.913, F.S.;
5 requiring the Agency for Health Care
6 Administration to establish a comprehensive
7 health and human services eligibility access
8 system; establishing requirements for each
9 component of the system; creating s. 408.914,
10 F.S.; requiring the Agency for Health Care
11 Administration to phase in implementation of
12 the comprehensive health and human services
13 eligibility access system; providing for a
14 pilot project as the initial phase; specifying
15 timeframes for each implementation phase;
16 requiring that the agency submit a plan for
17 statewide implementation to the Governor and
18 Legislature; creating s. 408.915, F.S.;
19 requiring the Agency for Health Care
20 Administration to develop and implement a pilot
21 project to integrate eligibility determination
22 and information and referral services;
23 establishing requirements for the pilot
24 project; establishing requirements for
25 information and referral; specifying the scope
26 of the project; requiring reports to the
27 Governor and Legislature; authorizing the
28 agency to request federal waivers; creating s.
29 408.916, F.S.; establishing the health care
30 access steering committee; providing for
31 membership of the steering committee; providing
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Florida House of Representatives - 2002 HB 1761
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1 duties; establishing an expiration date for the
2 steering committee; creating s. 408.917, F.S.;
3 requiring an evaluation of the pilot project;
4 requiring a report to the Governor and
5 Legislature; specifying issues to be addressed
6 in the report; creating s. 408.918, F.S.;
7 authorizing the planning, development, and
8 implementation of the Florida 211 Network;
9 providing objectives for the Florida 211
10 Network; requiring the Agency for Health Care
11 Administration to establish criteria for
12 certification of information and referral
13 entities to participate in the Florida 211
14 Network; providing for revocation of 211
15 numbers from uncertified information and
16 referral entities; providing for assistance in
17 resolving disputes from the Public Service
18 Commission and the Federal Communications
19 Commission; providing an effective date.
20
21 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
22
23 Section 1. Section 408.911, Florida Statutes, is
24 created to read:
25 408.911 Short title.--Sections 408.911-408.918 may be
26 cited as the "Florida Health and Human Services Access Act."
27 Section 2. Section 408.913, Florida Statutes, is
28 created to read:
29 408.913 Comprehensive health and human services
30 eligibility access system.--
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Florida House of Representatives - 2002 HB 1761
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1 (1) The Agency for Health Care Administration shall
2 develop a comprehensive, automated system for access to health
3 care services. This system shall, to the greatest extent
4 possible, use the capacity of existing automated systems so as
5 to maximize the benefit of investments already made in
6 information technology and minimize additional costs.
7 (2) The benefit eligibility component of the system
8 shall include simplified access through coordination with
9 information and referral telephone systems. This access does
10 not preclude use of other methods of application, including
11 mail-in applications, office visits, or on-line applications
12 via the Internet. The eligibility component of the system
13 shall include:
14 (a) Improved access to eligibility status information.
15 (b) Development and sharing of information with
16 eligible individuals and families regarding choices available
17 to them for using health care services.
18 (3) The state agencies providing the medical,
19 clinical, and related health care support services for special
20 populations, including frail elders, adults with disabilities,
21 and children with special needs, shall develop systems for
22 these populations which integrate and coordinate care and
23 improved communication. These systems must include development
24 of standard protocols for care planning and assessment, a
25 focus on family involvement, and methods to communicate across
26 systems, including automated methods, in order to improve
27 integration and coordination of services.
28 Section 3. Section 408.914, Florida Statutes, is
29 created to read:
30 408.914 Phased implementation plan.--The agency, in
31 consultation with the health care access steering committee
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Florida House of Representatives - 2002 HB 1761
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1 created in s. 408.916, shall phase in the implementation of
2 the comprehensive health and human services eligibility access
3 system.
4 (1) The first phase of implementation shall be a pilot
5 project in one or more contiguous counties to demonstrate the
6 feasibility of integrating eligibility determination for
7 health care services with information and referral services.
8 (2) Upon demonstration of the feasibility of the first
9 phase of implementation, and subject to appropriation of any
10 necessary resources, the steering committee shall develop a
11 detailed implementation plan for the care management component
12 of the system. The implementation plan must include the
13 steering committee's recommendation of one or more state
14 agencies that should be designated to implement the care
15 management component of the system.
16 (3) Options for further implementation of the system
17 may include a phased implementation of the eligibility
18 component in additional sites before implementing the
19 remaining components of the system or may include
20 implementation of the care management and service system
21 components along with the eligibility components.
22 (4) The agency, in consultation with the steering
23 committee, shall complete analysis of the initial pilot
24 project by November 1, 2003, and by January 1, 2004, shall
25 submit a plan to the Governor, the President of the Senate,
26 and the Speaker of the House of Representatives for statewide
27 implementation of all components of the system, if warranted.
28 This plan must also include recommendations for incorporating
29 additional public assistance and human services programs into
30 the comprehensive health and human services eligibility access
31 system.
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Florida House of Representatives - 2002 HB 1761
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1 Section 4. Section 408.915, Florida Statutes, is
2 created to read:
3 408.915 Eligibility pilot project.--The agency, in
4 consultation with the steering committee, shall develop and
5 implement the pilot project to integrate the determination of
6 eligibility for health care services with information and
7 referral services, as provided for in s. 408.914.
8 (1) The pilot project shall operate in one or more
9 contiguous counties, as selected by the agency in consultation
10 with the steering committee.
11 (2) The pilot project shall focus on developing, to
12 the maximum extent possible, a process for eligibility
13 application which:
14 (a) Uses a single uniform electronic application
15 process, but permits applying for health services through
16 various entry points, including information and referral
17 providers, state agency program personnel or contracted
18 providers, the mail, or the Internet.
19 (b) Is linked to a shared database that will have the
20 capability to sort or store information by families as well as
21 individuals.
22 (c) Permits electronic input and storage of data and
23 electronic verification and exchange of information.
24 (d) Is compliant with the federal Health Insurance
25 Portability and Accountability Act, as well as all other
26 applicable state and federal confidentiality requirements.
27 (e) Includes an initial screening component for
28 referring applicants to other health and human services
29 programs provided through state agencies, including programs
30 addressing developmental delays, developmental disabilities,
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1 chronic physical illness, mental health needs, substance abuse
2 needs, elder and aging needs, and other health care needs.
3 (3) The information and referral provider in the site
4 selected as the pilot project shall, at a minimum:
5 (a) Execute a memorandum of understanding with the
6 local community volunteer placement centers.
7 (b) Implement, or be in the process of implementing, a
8 shared, web-based, information and eligibility database with
9 community health providers and funders.
10 (c) Provide comprehensive information and referral
11 services 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
12 (d) Agree, in writing, to become accredited within 3
13 years by a nationally recognized information and referral
14 accrediting agency.
15 (e) Execute a memorandum of understanding with 911 and
16 other emergency response agencies in the pilot area.
17 (f) Implement policies and structured training to
18 effectively respond to crisis calls or obtain accreditation by
19 a nationally recognized mental health or crisis accrediting
20 agency.
21 (g) Obtain teletypewriter and multilanguage
22 accessibility, either onsite or through a translation service.
23 (h) Develop resources to support and publicize
24 information and referral services and provide ongoing
25 education to the public on the availability of such services.
26 (i) Provide periodic reports to the Governor, the
27 President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
28 Representatives on the use of the information and referral
29 system and on measures that demonstrate the effectiveness and
30 efficiency of the information and referral services provided.
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1 (4) The pilot project shall include eligibility
2 determinations for the following programs:
3 (a) Medicaid under Title XIX of the Social Security
4 Act.
5 (b) Medikids as created in s. 409.8132.
6 (c) Florida Healthy Kids as described in s. 624.91 and
7 within eligibility guidelines provided in s. 409.814.
8 (d) Eligibility for Florida Kidcare services outside
9 of the scope of Title XIX or Title XXI of the Social Security
10 Act as provided in s. 409.814.
11 (e) State and local publicly funded health and social
12 services programs as determined appropriate by the steering
13 committee.
14 (5) If the Secretary of Health Care Administration, in
15 consultation with the steering committee, determines that it
16 would facilitate operation of the pilot project to obtain
17 federal waiver authority, the agency shall request such waiver
18 authority from the appropriate federal agency.
19 Section 5. Section 408.916, Florida Statutes, is
20 created to read:
21 408.916 Health care access steering committee.--In
22 order to guide the implementation of the pilot project, there
23 is created the health care access steering committee.
24 (1) The steering committee shall be composed of the
25 following members:
26 (a) The Secretary of Health Care Administration.
27 (b) The Secretary of Children and Family Services.
28 (c) The Secretary of Elderly Affairs.
29 (d) The Secretary of Health.
30 (e) A representative of the Florida Alliance of
31 Information and Referral Services.
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1 (2) The steering committee may designate additional ad
2 hoc members or technical advisors as the committee finds is
3 appropriate.
4 (3) The Secretary of Health Care Administration shall
5 be the chair of the steering committee.
6 (4) The steering committee shall provide oversight to
7 the ongoing implementation of the pilot project, provide
8 consultation and guidance on matters of policy, and provide
9 oversight to the evaluation of the pilot project.
10 (5) The steering committee shall complete its
11 activities by June 30, 2004, and the authorization for the
12 steering committee ends on that date.
13 Section 6. Section 408.917, Florida Statutes, is
14 created to read:
15 408.917 Evaluation of the pilot project.--The agency,
16 in consultation with the steering committee, shall conduct or
17 contract for an evaluation of the pilot project established in
18 s. 408.915, under the guidance and oversight of the steering
19 committee. The agency shall ensure that the evaluation is
20 submitted to the Governor and Legislature by January 1, 2004.
21 The evaluation report must address at least the following
22 questions:
23 (1) What has been the impact of the pilot project on
24 improving access to the process of determining eligibility?
25 (2) Based on the experience of the pilot project, what
26 is the projected cost of statewide implementation?
27 (3) What has been the impact of the pilot project on
28 the caseload trends in publicly funded programs and what is
29 the projected impact of statewide implementation?
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1 (4) How has the implementation of the pilot project
2 affected customer satisfaction with access to eligibility
3 determination for state-funded health services?
4 (5) Does the experience of the pilot project support
5 continued expansion of the concept?
6 (6) What changes or modifications to the concepts of
7 the pilot project are recommended for future sites?
8 Section 7. Section 408.918, Florida Statutes, is
9 created to read:
10 408.918 Florida 211 Network; uniform certification
11 requirements.--
12 (1) The Legislature authorizes the planning,
13 development, and, subject to appropriations, the
14 implementation of a statewide Florida 211 Network, which shall
15 serve as the single point of coordination for information and
16 referral for health and human services. The objectives for
17 establishing the Florida 211 Network shall be to:
18 (a) Provide comprehensive and cost-effective access to
19 health and human services information.
20 (b) Improve access to accurate information by
21 simplifying and enhancing state and local health and human
22 services information and referral systems and by fostering
23 collaboration among information and referral systems.
24 (c) Electronically connect local information and
25 referral systems to each other, to service providers, and to
26 consumers of information and referral services.
27 (d) Establish and promote standards for data
28 collection and for distributing information among state and
29 local organizations.
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Florida House of Representatives - 2002 HB 1761
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1 (e) Promote the use of a common dialing access code
2 and the visibility and public awareness of the availability of
3 information and referral services.
4 (f) Provide a management and administrative structure
5 to support the Florida 211 Network and establish technical
6 assistance, training, and support programs for information and
7 referral services programs.
8 (g) Test methods for integrating information and
9 referral services with local and state health and human
10 services programs and for consolidating and streamlining
11 eligibility and care management processes.
12 (h) Provide access to standardized, comprehensive data
13 to assist in identifying gaps and needs in health and human
14 services programs.
15 (i) Provide a unified systems plan with a developed
16 platform, taxonomy, and standards for data management and
17 access.
18 (2) In order to participate in the Florida 211
19 Network, a provider of information and referral services must
20 be certified by the agency. The agency shall develop criteria
21 for certification, as recommended by the Florida Alliance of
22 Information and Referral Services, and shall adopt the
23 criteria as administrative rules.
24 (a) If any provider of information and referral
25 services or other entity leases a 211 number from a local
26 exchange company and is not certified by the agency, the
27 agency shall, after consultation with the local exchange
28 company and the Public Service Commission, request that the
29 Federal Communications Commission direct the local exchange
30 company to revoke the use of the 211 number.
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1 (b) The agency shall seek the assistance and guidance
2 of the Public Service Commission and the Federal
3 Communications Commission in resolving any disputes arising
4 over jurisdiction related to 211 numbers.
5 Section 8. This act shall take effect upon becoming a
6 law.
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8 *****************************************
9 HOUSE SUMMARY
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Creates the Florida Health and Human Services Access Act.
11 Requires the Agency for Health Care Administration to
establish a comprehensive health and human services
12 eligibility access system. Requires that the agency begin
with a pilot project and phase in implementation of the
13 system. Establishes the health care access steering
committee to guide implementation of the pilot project.
14 Provides for the creation of the Florida 211 Network to
serve as a single point of coordination for information
15 and referral for health and human services. See bill for
details.
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