HB 1127

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to health care transition programs and
3	services for adolescents and young adults who have special
4	health care needs; providing legislative intent;
5	establishing an office within the Division of Children's
6	Medical Services Network in the Department of Health to
7	implement a health care transition program for adolescents
8	and young adults who have special health care needs;
9	specifying duties of the office with respect to the
10	oversight, implementation, and coordination of the
11	program; requiring that the office provide technical
12	assistance to communities, providers, and organizations;
13	requiring the Department of Health, in partnership with
14	the Agency for Health Care Administration, to seek a
15	federal waiver or state plan amendment for addressing the
16	compensation of health care providers and improving access
17	to adult and specialty health care for adolescents and
18	young adults who have special health care needs; requiring
19	the department to work with the Office of Insurance
20	Regulation on policies relating to medical management and
21	health care transition services for adolescents and young
22	adults with special health care needs; authorizing the
23	department to enter into contracts, contingent upon
24	appropriations, with local health and transition services
25	programs; providing requirements for program structure and
26	design; specifying the services that may be offered by
27	local health and transition services programs; requiring
28	that at least one health and transition services program
29	be associated with each of the eight regions of the
30	Children's Medical Services Network; requiring an
31	evaluation of the program; providing an effective date.
32
33	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
34
35	Section 1.  Legislative intent; health care transition
36	programs and services for adolescents and young adults who have
37	special health care needs.-
38	(1)  It is the intent of the Legislature to provide a
39	strategic and comprehensive approach to the development and
40	implementation of effective health care transition programs and
41	services for adolescents and young adults who have special
42	health care needs.
43	(2)  An office is established within the Division of
44	Children's Medical Services Network which shall be responsible
45	for:
46	(a)  Overseeing and implementing the national maternal and
47	child health goals, using existing state plans, in order to
48	implement effective transition programs for adolescents and
49	young adults who have special health care needs. As used in this
50	section, the term "adolescents and young adults who have special
51	health care needs" means individuals who are at least 12 years
52	of age but not more than 26 years of age; who have chronic
53	physical, developmental, behavioral, or emotional conditions;
54	and who require health care or related services of a type or
55	amount beyond that which is generally required by adolescents or
56	young adults.
57	(b)  Developing a planning and implementation process and
58	the necessary resource guides that community providers and
59	organizations may use to develop coordinated systems of services
60	for adolescents and young adults who have special health care
61	needs. The coordinated system of services shall include
62	different models that accommodate the geographic and cultural
63	diversity of the state and are adapted to the local needs of
64	communities and local health services delivery systems. The
65	models shall promote the integration of health care transition
66	services with transition programs in education, vocational
67	rehabilitation, and independent living and shall address the
68	varying needs of subpopulations, such as students who are
69	enrolled in postsecondary educational institutions and
70	individuals in the child welfare or juvenile justice system.
71	(c)  Developing and disseminating resource guides that
72	outline the various public and private health care financing
73	options, including commercial insurance, and their respective
74	health care benefits.
75	(d)  Coordinating the program with training institutions,
76	including medical centers, to identify and make available for
77	health care providers existing training programs and the
78	principles, objectives, and methods these programs have employed
79	to successfully transfer adolescents and young adults who have
80	special health care needs to adult health care providers.
81	(e)  Maintaining and updating web-based materials related
82	to health care transition which can be used by adolescents and
83	young adults who have special health care needs and their
84	families, providers, and others involved in health care
85	transition.
86	(f)  Collecting and disseminating information in specific
87	clinical areas concerning evidenced-based practices and best
88	practices for providing health care transition services for
89	youth and young adults who have chronic special health care
90	needs or disabilities.
91	(g)  Providing technical assistance to communities,
92	providers, and organizations that are involved in the
93	development and implementation of systems of services for
94	adolescents and young adults who have special health care needs.
95	(h)  Developing and disseminating quality improvement and
96	evaluation components for health care transition programs. The
97	quality improvement and evaluation components must include a
98	common or comparable set of performance measures for all
99	entities that provide health care transition services for
100	adolescents and young adults who have special health care needs.
101	(3)  The Department of Health shall work in partnership
102	with the Agency for Health Care Administration to seek a federal
103	waiver or state plan amendment that addresses health care
104	provider compensation strategies, including, but not limited to,
105	co-management, care plan development and oversight, provision of
106	a medical home, and use of telehealth technology to improve
107	access to adult and specialty health care for adolescents and
108	young adults who have special health care needs. For the
109	purposes of this section, the term "telehealth" means the
110	delivery of health-related services and information through the
111	use of telecommunications technologies.
112	(4)  The Department of Health shall work with the Office of
113	Insurance Regulation to explore and recommend effective policies
114	that address medical management and health care transition
115	services for adolescents and young adults who have special
116	health care needs.
117	(5)  The Department of Health may enter into contracts,
118	contingent upon a specific appropriation provided in the General
119	Appropriations Act for this purpose, with local health and
120	transition services programs that meet the requirements of this
121	section.
122	(6)  The program structure and design must be adapted to
123	the needs of the local community and health services delivery
124	system; however, the following elements shall be in place in
125	order to ensure the success of a local health and transition
126	services program:
127	(a)  A consultative partnership between adult and pediatric
128	health care providers in a major medical health care
129	organization or academic medical setting for the purpose of
130	transferring adolescents and young adults to adult health care
131	services.
132	(b)  Community-based health care services that are provided
133	under agreements with major health care organizations or
134	academic medical centers for the purpose of providing
135	consultation concerning the management of special health care
136	needs.
137	(c)  Community-based support organizations that can provide
138	assistance with services such as supported living and
139	employment, health insurance, and support services to maintain
140	the young adult in the community.
141	(d)  A medical home that provides for coordinated and
142	multidisciplinary care and focuses on engaging adult health care
143	providers in the care and treatment of adolescents or young
144	adults.
145	(7)  The following services may be offered by the local
146	health and transition services program to individuals who are
147	served in the local health and transition services program:
148	(a)  An assessment of health needs, education and
149	vocational status and needs, and health insurance status.
150	(b)  In coordination with the educational system,
151	community-based organizations, and the vocational system, a plan
152	for transition that includes adult health care services,
153	education, habilitative services, independent living services,
154	adult employment, and health insurance.
155	(c)  Disease self-management programs.
156	(8)  There shall be at least one transition program
157	associated with each one of the eight regions of the Children's
158	Medical Services Network, subject to the availability of funds.
159	(9)  The local health and transition services program shall
160	be evaluated by an organization or university that has expertise
161	and experience in evaluating health care programs. The
162	evaluation must be formative and cumulative and must include
163	program process and outcome measures as well as client outcomes.
164	The results of the evaluation may be used by the department to
165	improve and develop other local health and transition services
166	programs.
167	Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2010.

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