Senate Bill sb0250

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    Florida Senate - 2003                                   SB 250

    By Senators Peaden, Jones and Klein





    2-192-03

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to rural hospitals; amending

  3         ss. 395.602 and 408.07, F.S.; revising the

  4         definition of the term "rural hospital";

  5         providing an effective date.

  6  

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

  8  

  9         Section 1.  Paragraph (e) of subsection (2) of section

10  395.602, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

11         395.602  Rural hospitals.--

12         (2)  DEFINITIONS.--As used in this part:

13         (e)  "Rural hospital" means an acute care hospital

14  licensed under this chapter, having 100 or fewer licensed beds

15  and an emergency room, which is:

16         1.  The sole provider within a county with a population

17  density of no greater than 100 persons per square mile;

18         2.  An acute care hospital, in a county with a

19  population density of no greater than 100 persons per square

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

21  traveled roads under normal traffic conditions, from any other

22  acute care hospital within the same county;

23         3.  A hospital supported by a tax district or

24  subdistrict whose boundaries encompass a population of 100

25  persons or fewer per square mile;

26         4.  A hospital in a constitutional charter county with

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

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

29  that was directly impacted by a catastrophic event on August

30  24, 1992, for which the Governor of Florida declared a state

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

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    Florida Senate - 2003                                   SB 250
    2-192-03




 1  that serves an agricultural community with an emergency room

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

 3  in-patient utilization rate greater than 15 percent;

 4         5.  A hospital with a service area that has a

 5  population of 100 persons or fewer per square mile. As used in

 6  this subparagraph, the term "service area" means the fewest

 7  number of zip codes that account for 75 percent of the

 8  hospital's discharges for the most recent 5-year period, based

 9  on information available from the hospital inpatient discharge

10  database in the State Center for Health Statistics at the

11  Agency for Health Care Administration; or

12         6.  A hospital designated as a Critical Access Hospital

13  by the Department of Health in accordance with federal

14  regulations and state requirements.

15  

16  Population densities used in this paragraph must be based upon

17  the most recently completed United States census. A hospital

18  that received funds under s. 409.9116 for a quarter beginning

19  no later than July 1, 2002, is deemed to have been and shall

20  continue to be a rural hospital from that date through June

21  30, 2012, if the hospital continues to have 100 or fewer

22  licensed beds and an emergency room, or meets the criteria of

23  subparagraph 4. An acute care hospital that has not previously

24  been designated as a rural hospital and that meets the

25  criteria of this paragraph shall be granted such designation

26  upon application, including supporting documentation to the

27  Medicaid program office of the Agency for Health Care

28  Administration.

29         Section 2.  Subsection (42) of section 408.07, Florida

30  Statutes, is amended to read:

31  

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    Florida Senate - 2003                                   SB 250
    2-192-03




 1         408.07  Definitions.--As used in this chapter, with the

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

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

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

 5  and an emergency room, and which is:

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

 7  population density of no greater than 100 persons per square

 8  mile;

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

10  population density of no greater than 100 persons per square

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

12  traveled roads under normal traffic conditions, from another

13  acute care hospital within the same county;

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

15  subdistrict whose boundaries encompass a population of 100

16  persons or fewer per square mile;

17         (d)  A hospital with a service area that has a

18  population of 100 persons or fewer per square mile.  As used

19  in this paragraph, the term "service area" means the fewest

20  number of zip codes that account for 75 percent of the

21  hospital's discharges for the most recent 5-year period, based

22  on information available from the hospital inpatient discharge

23  database in the State Center for Health Statistics at the

24  Agency for Health Care Administration; or

25         (e)  A hospital designated as a Critical Access

26  Hospital by the Department of Health in accordance with

27  federal regulations and state requirements.

28  

29  Population densities used in this subsection must be based

30  upon the most recently completed United States census. A

31  hospital that received funds under s. 409.9116 for a quarter

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    Florida Senate - 2003                                   SB 250
    2-192-03




 1  beginning no later than July 1, 2002, is deemed to have been

 2  and shall continue to be a rural hospital from that date

 3  through June 30, 2012, if the hospital continues to have 100

 4  or fewer licensed beds and an emergency room, or meets the

 5  criteria of s. 395.602(2)(e)4. An acute care hospital that has

 6  not previously been designated as a rural hospital and that

 7  meets the criteria of this subsection shall be granted such

 8  designation upon application, including supporting

 9  documentation, to the Medicaid program office of the Agency

10  for Health Care Administration.

11         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2003.

12  

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14                          SENATE SUMMARY

15    Revises the definition of the term "rural hospital."
      Provides that certain hospitals shall be considered rural
16    hospitals through June 30, 2012. Provides that certain
      other hospitals may be designated rural hospitals upon
17    application to the Agency for Health Care Administration.

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