HB 1557

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to health insurance; amending s. 627.419,
3	F.S.; including certified surgical assistants, as defined,
4	within certain benefits or services payment provisions;
5	limiting application; providing an effective date.
6
7	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
8
9	Section 1.  Subsection (6) of section 627.419, Florida
10	Statutes, is amended to read:
11	627.419  Construction of policies.--
12	(6)(a)  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, when
13	any health insurance policy, health care services plan, or other
14	contract provides for payment for surgical first assisting
15	benefits or services, the policy, plan, or contract is to be
16	construed as providing for payment to a registered nurse first
17	assistant or employers of a physician assistant or nurse first
18	assistant who performs such services that are within the scope
19	of a physician assistant's or a registered nurse first
20	assistant's professional license. The provisions of This
21	paragraph applies subsection apply only if reimbursement for an
22	assisting physician, licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459,
23	would be covered and a physician assistant or a registered nurse
24	first assistant who performs such services is used as a
25	substitute.
26	(b)  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, when any
27	insurance policy, health care services plan, or other contract
28	provides for payment for surgical first assisting benefits or
29	services, the policy, plan, or contract is to be construed as
30	providing for payment to a certified surgical assistant or to
31	the employer of a certified surgical assistant who performs such
32	services that are assigned by the supervising physician,
33	osteopathic physician, or registered nurse. This paragraph
34	applies only if reimbursement for an assisting physician
35	licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459 would be covered and
36	the certified surgical assistant who performs such services is
37	used as a substitute. As used in this paragraph, the term
38	"certified surgical assistant" means a person who is an
39	unlicensed health care provider that is directly accountable to
40	a physician licensed under chapter 458, or an osteopathic
41	physician licensed under chapter 459, or, in the absence of a
42	physician or osteopathic physician, a registered nurse licensed
43	under chapter 464, and who is certified by the National Surgical
44	Assistant Association on the Certification of Surgical
45	Assistants, the Liaison Council on Certification of Surgical
46	Technologists, or the American Board of Surgical Assistants.
47	Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2004.

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