| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to pediatric skilled nursing facilities; |
| 3 | providing a definition; requiring the Agency for Health |
| 4 | Care Administration to implement a program and develop |
| 5 | criteria for designation as a licensed pediatric skilled |
| 6 | nursing facility; requiring that certain affiliations be |
| 7 | established and providing purposes thereof; providing |
| 8 | criteria for a nursing home to qualify as a licensed |
| 9 | pediatric skilled nursing facility; prohibiting |
| 10 | expenditure of certain funds for certain purposes; |
| 11 | providing an effective date. |
| 12 |
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| 13 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 14 |
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| 15 | Section 1. Implementation of a pediatric skilled nursing |
| 16 | facility license.-- |
| 17 | (1) As used in this section, the term "pediatric skilled |
| 18 | nursing facility" means a nursing home that contains a maximum |
| 19 | of 36 licensed nursing home beds; has access to a resident |
| 20 | pediatric and young adult population of sufficient size to |
| 21 | support resident education, socialization, and rehabilitation; |
| 22 | and has a contractual relationship with the Department of |
| 23 | Education in this state. |
| 24 | (2)(a) The Agency for Health Care Administration shall |
| 25 | implement a comprehensive multidisciplinary program of education |
| 26 | and rehabilitation in a nursing home facility designated by the |
| 27 | agency as a licensed pediatric skilled nursing facility. The |
| 28 | program shall be administered at the nursing home facility and |
| 29 | in other appropriate settings. |
| 30 | (b) The agency shall develop criteria for designating |
| 31 | licensed pediatric skilled nursing facilities in consultation |
| 32 | with advocates of children and advocates of persons with |
| 33 | disabilities. |
| 34 | (3) To be designated as a licensed pediatric skilled |
| 35 | nursing facility, a nursing home licensee shall, at a minimum: |
| 36 | (a) Provide a comprehensive program of integrated |
| 37 | pediatric services that include institutional and community- |
| 38 | based services. |
| 39 | (b) Participate in a nationally recognized accreditation |
| 40 | program and hold a valid accreditation, such as the |
| 41 | accreditation awarded by the Joint Commission on Accreditation |
| 42 | of Healthcare Organizations or the Commission of Accreditation |
| 43 | of Rehabilitative Facilities. |
| 44 | (c) Have been in business in this state for a minimum of |
| 45 | 10 consecutive years. |
| 46 | (d) Demonstrate an active program in multidisciplinary |
| 47 | education and rehabilitation that relates to medically fragile |
| 48 | children. |
| 49 | (e) Have a formalized contractual relationship with at |
| 50 | least one accredited health profession education program located |
| 51 | in this state. |
| 52 | (f) Have a formalized relationship with an accredited |
| 53 | hospital. |
| 54 | (g) Have senior consultants and staff members who hold |
| 55 | formal faculty appointments at universities, at least one of |
| 56 | which has an accredited health profession education program. |
| 57 | (4) A licensed pediatric skilled nursing facility shall be |
| 58 | affiliated with the Department of Education and national |
| 59 | organizations focused on excellence in pediatric nursing care |
| 60 | and education. The purpose of such affiliations is to foster the |
| 61 | development of methods for improving and expanding the |
| 62 | capability of health care facilities to respond to the medical, |
| 63 | psychological, and social needs of technologically dependent and |
| 64 | medically fragile infants, children, and young adults by |
| 65 | providing the most effective and appropriate services. A |
| 66 | licensed pediatric skilled nursing facility shall serve as a |
| 67 | resource for education and the dissemination of best practices |
| 68 | in the provision of health care services in institutional |
| 69 | settings to the pediatric and young adult populations with |
| 70 | special health care needs. |
| 71 | (5) In order for a nursing home to qualify as a licensed |
| 72 | pediatric skilled nursing facility and to be entitled to the |
| 73 | benefits provided under this section, the nursing home shall: |
| 74 | (a) Be primarily operated and established to offer, |
| 75 | afford, and render a comprehensive multidisciplinary program for |
| 76 | medically fragile children and young adults. This program shall |
| 77 | provide education, socialization, rehabilitation, counseling, |
| 78 | recreation, daily living, and assistive technology services and |
| 79 | equipment to encourage independence and maximize quality-of-life |
| 80 | potential to residents of the state. |
| 81 | (b) Certify to the Agency for Health Care Administration |
| 82 | each school year the name, address, and educational history of |
| 83 | each resident approved and accepted for admission to the |
| 84 | facility. |
| 85 | (6) If a licensed pediatric skilled nursing facility |
| 86 | receives funds appropriated to administer this section, it may |
| 87 | not expend the funds for: |
| 88 | (a) Any purpose other than operating and maintaining a |
| 89 | pediatric skilled nursing facility and conducting pediatric |
| 90 | education and rehabilitation; |
| 91 | (b) Constructing any building of any kind, nature, or |
| 92 | description; or |
| 93 | (c) Maintaining or operating, in any form or manner, a |
| 94 | nonlicensed pediatric skilled nursing facility or health care |
| 95 | facility. |
| 96 | Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |