Senate Bill sb1622c1

    Florida Senate - 2005                           CS for SB 1622

    By the Committee on Health Care; and Senator Atwater





    587-1802-05

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to hospices; amending s.

  3         400.601, F.S.; redefining the term "hospice"

  4         for purposes of part VI of ch. 400, F.S., to

  5         remove the stipulation of not-for-profit

  6         status; amending s. 400.602, F.S.; providing

  7         for licensure of hospices that meet specified

  8         conditions; requiring a report to the

  9         Legislature by the Agency for Health Care

10         Administration; providing an effective date.

11  

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

13  

14         Section 1.  Subsection (3) of section 400.601, Florida

15  Statutes, is amended to read:

16         400.601  Definitions.--As used in this part, the term:

17         (3)  "Hospice" means a centrally administered

18  corporation not for profit, as defined in chapter 617,

19  providing a continuum of palliative and supportive care for

20  the terminally ill patient and his or her family.

21         Section 2.  Subsection (7) is added to section 400.602,

22  Florida Statutes, to read:

23         400.602  Licensure required; prohibited acts;

24  exemptions; display, transferability of license.--

25         (7)  Notwithstanding the provisions of s. 400.601(3),

26  any hospice that is organized as a for-profit corporation and

27  provides a continuum of palliative and supportive care for a

28  terminally ill patient and his or her family may obtain a

29  license in accordance with the other requirements of this part

30  and upon receipt of any certificate of need required under ss.

31  408.031-408.045 to provide care in hospice services areas

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






    Florida Senate - 2005                           CS for SB 1622
    587-1802-05




 1  having populations of 550,000 or more, or in any hospice

 2  service area where a for-profit hospice is currently licensed

 3  to operate under subsection (6). The Agency for Health Care

 4  Administration shall use hospice service areas as published on

 5  January 1, 2005. No later than January 1, 2007, the Agency for

 6  Health Care Administration shall submit to the Legislature a

 7  report analyzing the impact of for-profit hospices on the

 8  delivery of care to terminally ill patients, including a

 9  review of the quality of care, the change in the competitive

10  marketplace, and any other relevant information.

11         Section 3.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

12  law.

13  

14          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
15                             SB 1622

16                                 

17  The committee substitute differs from SB 1622 in the following
    ways:
18  
    Licensure of a for-profit hospice will only be permitted  in a
19  hospice service area with a population of 550,000 or more or
    an area where a for-profit hospice is currently licensed to
20  operate.

21  The bill requires the Agency for Health Care Administration to
    report to the Legislature by January 2007, regarding the
22  impact of for-profit hospices on the delivery of care.

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