Senate Bill sb1252c1

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    Florida Senate - 2003                           CS for SB 1252

    By the Committee on Health, Aging, and Long-Term Care; and
    Senator Bennett




    317-1915-03

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to nursing homes; creating s.

  3         400.244, F.S.; allowing nursing homes to

  4         convert beds to alternative uses as specified;

  5         providing restrictions on uses of funding under

  6         assisted-living Medicaid waivers; providing

  7         procedures; providing for the applicability of

  8         certain fire and life safety codes; providing

  9         applicability of certain laws; requiring a

10         nursing home to submit to the Agency for Health

11         Care Administration a written request for

12         permission to convert beds to alternative uses;

13         providing conditions for disapproving such a

14         request; providing for periodic review;

15         providing for retention of nursing home

16         licensure for converted beds; providing for

17         reconversion of the beds; providing

18         applicability of licensure fees; requiring a

19         report to the agency; providing an effective

20         date.

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

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24         Section 1.  Section 400.244, Florida Statutes, is

25  created to read:

26         400.244  Alternative uses of nursing home beds; funding

27  limitations; applicable codes and requirements; procedures;

28  reconversion.--

29         (1)  It is the intent of the Legislature to allow

30  nursing home facilities to use licensed nursing home facility

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    Florida Senate - 2003                           CS for SB 1252
    317-1915-03




 1  beds for alternative uses other than nursing home care for

 2  extended periods of time exceeding 48 hours.

 3         (2)  A nursing home may use a contiguous portion of the

 4  nursing home facility to meet the needs of the elderly through

 5  the use of less restrictive and less institutional methods of

 6  long-term care, including, but not limited to, adult day care,

 7  assisted living, extended congregate care, or limited nursing

 8  services.

 9         (3)  Funding under assisted-living Medicaid waivers for

10  nursing home facility beds that are used to provide extended

11  congregate care or limited nursing services under this section

12  may be provided only for residents who have resided in the

13  nursing home facility for a minimum of 90 consecutive days.

14         (4)  Nursing home facility beds that are used in

15  providing alternative services may share common areas,

16  services, and staff with beds that are designated for nursing

17  home care. Fire codes and life safety codes applicable to

18  nursing home facilities also apply to beds used for

19  alternative purposes under this section. Any alternative use

20  must meet other requirements specified by law for that use.

21         (5)  In order to take beds out of service for nursing

22  home care and use them to provide alternative services under

23  this section, a nursing home must submit a written request for

24  approval to the Agency for Health Care Administration in a

25  format specified by the agency. The agency shall approve the

26  request unless it determines that such action will adversely

27  affect access to nursing home care in the geographical area in

28  which the nursing home is located. The agency shall, in its

29  review, consider a district average occupancy of 94 percent or

30  greater at the time of the application as an indicator of an

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    Florida Senate - 2003                           CS for SB 1252
    317-1915-03




 1  adverse impact. The agency shall review the request for

 2  alternative use at each annual license renewal.

 3         (6)  A nursing home facility that converts beds to an

 4  alternative use under this section retains its license for all

 5  of the nursing home facility beds and may return those beds to

 6  nursing home operation upon 60 days' advance notice to the

 7  agency unless notice requirements are specified elsewhere in

 8  law. The nursing home facility shall continue to pay all

 9  licensure fees as required by s. 400.062 and applicable rules

10  but is not required to pay any other state licensure fee for

11  the alternative service.

12         (7)  Within 45 days after the end of each calendar

13  quarter, each facility that has nursing facility beds licensed

14  under chapter 400 shall report to the agency or its designee

15  the total number of patient days which occurred in each month

16  of the quarter and the number of such days which were Medicaid

17  patient days.

18         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2003.

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    Florida Senate - 2003                           CS for SB 1252
    317-1915-03




 1          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
 2                         Senate Bill 1252

 3                                 

 4  The committee substitute differs from SB 1252 in the following
    ways:
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    -    A new statute section, s. 400.244, F.S. is created.
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    -    A reference to s. 400.402, F.S., which appeared to limit
 7       the alternate use to assisted living facilities, is
         deleted.
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    -    The request for alternative use must be in writing in a
 9       format specified by  the Agency for Health Care
         Administration.
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    -    The Agency for Health Care Administration must consider a
11       district average occupancy of 94 percent or greater at
         the time of the application as an indicator that an
12       alternative use of nursing home beds would have an
         adverse impact on access to nursing homes.
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    -    A nursing home facility must continue to pay the license
14       fees required under s. 400.062, F.S., for those beds
         converted to alternative use, but must not be required to
15       pay additional licensure fees required under other
         statutes for the alternative service.
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    -    Each facility that has nursing facility beds licensed
17       under ch. 400, F.S. must report to the Agency for Health
         Care Administration or its designee the total number of
18       patient days which occurred in each month of the quarter
         and the number of those days that were Medicaid patient
19       days.

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