Senate Bill sb0594c2

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    Florida Senate - 2005                     CS for CS for SB 594

    By the Committees on Health Care; Banking and Insurance; and
    Senator Fasano




    587-2311-05

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to health insurance; amending

  3         s. 627.419, F.S.; providing for payments to a

  4         physician assistant under contracts providing

  5         for paying for surgical first assisting

  6         benefits or services; including certified

  7         surgical first assistants, as defined, within

  8         certain benefits or services payment

  9         provisions; limiting application; providing an

10         effective date.

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

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14         Section 1.  Subsection (6) of section 627.419, Florida

15  Statutes, is amended to read:

16         627.419  Construction of policies.--

17         (6)(a)  Notwithstanding any other provision of law,

18  when any health insurance policy, health care services plan,

19  or other contract provides for payment for surgical first

20  assisting benefits or services, the policy, plan, or contract

21  is to be construed as providing for payment to a physician

22  assistant or registered nurse first assistant or employers of

23  a physician assistant or registered nurse first assistant who

24  performs such services that are within the scope of a

25  physician assistant's or a registered nurse first assistant's

26  professional license. The provisions of This paragraph applies

27  subsection apply only if reimbursement for an assisting

28  physician, licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459, would be

29  covered and a physician assistant or a registered nurse first

30  assistant who performs such services is used as a substitute.

31  

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    Florida Senate - 2005                     CS for CS for SB 594
    587-2311-05




 1         (b)  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, when

 2  any health insurance policy, health care services plan, or

 3  other contract provides for payment for surgical first

 4  assisting benefits or services, the policy, plan, or contract

 5  is to be construed as providing for payment to a certified

 6  surgical first assistant or to the employer of a certified

 7  surgical first assistant who performs such services that are

 8  assigned by the supervising physician or osteopathic

 9  physician. This paragraph applies only if reimbursement for an

10  assisting physician, licensed under chapter 458 or chapter

11  459, would be covered and the certified surgical first

12  assistant who performs such services is used as a substitute.

13  As used in this paragraph, the term "certified surgical first

14  assistant" means a person who is an unlicensed health care

15  provider that is directly accountable to a physician licensed

16  under chapter 458 or an osteopathic physician licensed under

17  chapter 459, and who is certified by the National Surgical

18  Assistant Association on the Certification of Surgical

19  Assistants, the Liaison Council on Certification of Surgical

20  Technologists, or the American Board of Surgical Assistants.

21  This paragraph does not require an insurer to reimburse a

22  certified surgical first assistant or the employer of a

23  certified surgical first assistant if payment to the

24  physician, osteopathic physician, or licensed healthcare

25  facility includes the payment of a certified surgical first

26  assistant. The physician to whom the certified surgical first

27  assistant is directly accountable shall be solely responsible

28  for any acts or omissions of the certified surgical first

29  assistant.

30         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2005.

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    Florida Senate - 2005                     CS for CS for SB 594
    587-2311-05




 1          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
 2                            CS/SB 594

 3                                 

 4  The committee substitute does not authorize a nurse to
    supervise the work of a certified surgical first assistant. A
 5  medical physician licensed under ch. 458, F.S., or an
    osteopathic physician licensed under ch. 459, F.S., must
 6  directly supervise the work of a certified surgical first
    assistant.
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