HB 0187

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to health insurance; amending s. 627.419,
3	F.S.; including certified surgical first assistants, as
4	defined, within certain benefits or services payment
5	provisions; limiting application; providing an effective
6	date.
7
8	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
9
10	Section 1.  Subsection (6) of section 627.419, Florida
11	Statutes, is amended to read:
12	627.419  Construction of policies.--
13	(6)(a)  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, when
14	any health insurance policy, health care services plan, or other
15	contract provides for payment for surgical first assisting
16	benefits or services, the policy, plan, or contract is to be
17	construed as providing for payment to a registered nurse first
18	assistant or employers of a physician assistant or registered
19	nurse first assistant who performs such services that are within
20	the scope of a physician assistant's or a registered nurse first
21	assistant's professional license. The provisions of This
22	paragraph applies subsection apply only if reimbursement for an
23	assisting physician, licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459,
24	would be covered and a physician assistant or a registered nurse
25	first assistant who performs such services is used as a
26	substitute.
27	(b)  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, when any
28	health insurance policy, health care services plan, or other
29	contract provides for payment for surgical first assisting
30	benefits or services, the policy, plan, or contract is to be
31	construed as providing for payment to a certified surgical first
32	assistant or to the employer of a certified surgical first
33	assistant who performs such services that are assigned by the
34	supervising physician or osteopathic physician. This paragraph
35	applies only if reimbursement for an assisting physician,
36	licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459, would be covered and
37	the certified surgical first assistant who performs such
38	services is used as a substitute. As used in this paragraph, the
39	term "certified surgical first assistant" means a person who is
40	an unlicensed health care provider that is directly accountable
41	to a physician licensed under chapter 458, an osteopathic
42	physician licensed under chapter 459, or, in the absence of a
43	physician or osteopathic physician, a registered nurse licensed
44	under chapter 464, and who is certified by the National Surgical
45	Assistant Association on the Certification of Surgical
46	Assistants, the Liaison Council on Certification of Surgical
47	Technologists, or the American Board of Surgical Assistants.
48	Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2005.

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