HB 0901

CS

CHAMBER ACTION

1	The Health Care General Committee recommends the following:
2
3	Council/Committee Substitute
4	Remove the entire bill and insert:
5	A bill to be entitled
6	An act relating to an area health education center
7	network; amending s. 381.0402, F.S.; revising provisions
8	relating to the operation of the network; requiring the
9	Department of Health, in cooperation with state medical
10	schools, to maintain and evaluate the network; providing
11	for increased training and education opportunities in
12	medically underserved areas; providing that the network
13	not discriminate among enrollees; authorizing the network
14	to target high-risk medically needy population groups;
15	amending s. 381.0405, F.S.; providing that the Office of
16	Rural Health is responsible for state coordination of
17	federal rural hospital and rural health care grant
18	programs; deleting obsolete provisions; creating s.
19	381.0409, F.S.; authorizing the Department of Health to
20	coordinate with the Federal Government in carrying out
21	certain activities relating to the recruitment and
22	placement of health practitioners in medically underserved
23	areas; providing an effective date.
24
25	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
26
27	Section 1.  Section 381.0402, Florida Statutes, is amended
28	to read:
29	381.0402  Area health education center network.--
30	(1)  The department, in cooperation with the state-approved
31	medical schools located in this state that form the area health
32	education center network in this state, shall maintain and
33	evaluate organize an area health education center network
34	focused based on earlier medically indigent demonstration
35	projects and shall evaluate the impact of each network on
36	improving access to health services by persons who are medically
37	underserved. The network shall serve as be a catalyst for the
38	primary care training of health professionals by increasing
39	through increased opportunities for training in medically
40	underserved areas, increasing access to primary care services,
41	providing health workforce recruitment, enhancing the quality of
42	health care, and addressing current and emerging public health
43	issues.
44	(2)(1)  The department shall contract with the medical
45	schools to assist in funding the an area health education center
46	network which links the provision of primary care services to
47	medically underserved populations low-income persons with the
48	education of:
49	(a)  Medical students, interns, and residents. The network
50	shall:
51	(a)  Be coordinated with and under contract with the state-
52	approved medical schools, which shall be responsible for the
53	clinical training and supervision.
54	1.(b)  Divide the state into service areas within the
55	network for the purpose of with each state-approved medical
56	school coordinating the recruitment recruiting, training, and
57	retention of medical students within its assigned area.
58	2.(d)  Use current community resources such as county
59	health departments, federally funded migrant and community
60	health primary care centers, and or other primary health care
61	providers as community-based sites for training medical
62	students, interns, and residents.
63	3.(c)  Use a multidisciplinary approach with appropriate
64	medical supervision.
65	(b)  Health professions students. The network shall:
66	1.  Facilitate the recruitment, training, and retention of
67	health professions students within service areas.
68	2.  Use community resources such as county health
69	departments, federally funded migrant and community health
70	centers, and other primary health care providers as sites for
71	training health professions students.
72	3.  Use a multidisciplinary approach with appropriate
73	supervision.
74	(c)  Health providers serving medically underserved
75	populations. The network shall:
76	1.  Assist providers in medically underserved areas and
77	other safety net providers in remaining current in their fields
78	through a variety of community resource initiatives.
79	2.  Strengthen the state's health care safety net by
80	enhancing services and increasing access to care in medically
81	underserved areas.
82	3.  Provide other services such as library and information
83	resources, continuing professional education, technical
84	assistance, and other support services for providers serving in
85	medically underserved areas.
86	(3)(2)  The department shall establish criteria and
87	procedures for quality assurance, performance evaluations,
88	periodic audits, and other appropriate safeguards for the
89	network.
90	(4)(3)  The department shall make every effort to assure
91	that the network does participating medical schools do not
92	discriminate among enrollees with respect to age, race, sex, or
93	health status. However, the network such schools may target
94	high-risk medically needy population groups.
95	(5)(4)  The department may use no more than 5 percent of
96	the annual appropriation for administering and evaluating the
97	network.
98	Section 2.  Paragraph (f) of subsection (4) of section
99	381.0405, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
100	381.0405  Office of Rural Health.--
101	(4)  COORDINATION.--The office shall:
102	(f)  Assume responsibility for state coordination of the
103	Rural Hospital Transition Grant Program, the Essential Access
104	Community Hospital Program, and other federal rural hospital and
105	rural health care grant programs.
106	Section 3.  Section 381.0409, Florida Statutes, is created
107	to read:
108	381.0409  Coordination with federal health professional
109	recruitment and placement programs.--The department may
110	coordinate with the Federal Government to designate health
111	professional shortage areas and medically underserved areas, to
112	recommend foreign physicians for visa waivers, to document
113	health professionals working in the public interest, and to
114	place health care professionals in medically underserved areas
115	using federally funded recruitment incentive programs.
116	Section 4.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2005.

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