HB 0653 2004
1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to licensure of nurse registries; amending
3	s. 400.506, F.S.; removing the requirement for registered
4	nurses to make monthly visits to patients under the care
5	of certified nursing assistants or home health aides;
6	providing an effective date.
7
8	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
9
10	Section 1. Subsection (10) of section 400.506, Florida
11	Statutes, is amended to read:
12	400.506 Licensure of nurse registries; requirements;
13	penalties.--
14	(10)(a) A nurse registry may refer for contract in private
15	residences registered nurses and licensed practical nurses
16	registered and licensed under part I of chapter 464, certified
17	nursing assistants certified under part II of chapter 464, home
18	health aides who present documented proof of successful
19	completion of the training required by rule of the agency, and
20	companions or homemakers for the purposes of providing those
21	services authorized under s. 400.509(1). Each person referred by
22	a nurse registry must provide current documentation that he or
23	she is free from communicable diseases.
24	(b) A certified nursing assistant or home health aide may
25	be referred for a contract to provide care to a patient in his
26	or her home only if that patient is under a physician's care. A
27	certified nursing assistant or home health aide referred for
28	contract in a private residence shall be limited to assisting a
29	patient with bathing, dressing, toileting, grooming, eating,
30	physical transfer, and those normal daily routines the patient
31	could perform for himself or herself were he or she physically
32	capable. A certified nursing assistant or home health aide may
33	not provide medical or other health care services that require
34	specialized training and that may be performed only by licensed
35	health care professionals. The nurse registry shall obtain the
36	name and address of the attending physician and send written
37	notification to the physician within 48 hours after a contract
38	is concluded that a certified nursing assistant or home health
39	aide will be providing care for that patient.
40	(c) A registered nurse shall make monthly visits to the
41	patient's home to assess the patient's condition and quality of
42	care being provided by the certified nursing assistant or home
43	health aide. Any condition which in the professional judgment of
44	the nurse requires further medical attention shall be reported
45	to the attending physician and the nurse registry. The
46	assessment shall become a part of the patient's file with the
47	nurse registry and may be reviewed by the agency during their
48	survey procedure.
49	Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.