Florida Senate - 2012                                     SB 208
       
       
       
       By Senator Joyner
       
       
       
       
       18-00036B-12                                           2012208__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to health care fraud; amending s.
    3         456.0635, F.S.; revising the grounds under which the
    4         Department of Health or corresponding board is
    5         required to refuse to admit a candidate to an
    6         examination and refuse to issue or renew a license,
    7         certificate, or registration of a health care
    8         practitioner; providing an exception; amending s.
    9         456.036, F.S.; requiring a delinquent licensee whose
   10         license becomes delinquent before the final resolution
   11         of a case regarding Medicaid fraud to affirmatively
   12         apply by submitting a complete application for active
   13         or inactive status during the licensure cycle in which
   14         the case achieves final resolution by order of the
   15         court; providing that failure by a delinquent licensee
   16         to apply for an active or inactive license before the
   17         expiration of that licensure cycle renders the license
   18         null; requiring that any subsequent licensure be as a
   19         result of applying for and meeting all requirements
   20         imposed on an applicant for new licensure; providing
   21         an effective date.
   22  
   23  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   24  
   25         Section 1. Section 456.0635, Florida Statutes, is amended
   26  to read:
   27         456.0635 Health care Medicaid fraud; disqualification for
   28  license, certificate, or registration.—
   29         (1) Medicaid Fraud in the practice of a health care
   30  profession is prohibited.
   31         (2) Each board within the jurisdiction of the department,
   32  or the department if there is no board, shall refuse to admit a
   33  candidate to any examination and refuse to issue or renew a
   34  license, certificate, or registration to any applicant if the
   35  candidate or applicant or any principal, officer, agent,
   36  managing employee, or affiliated person of the applicant, has
   37  been:
   38         (a) Has been convicted of, or entered a plea of guilty or
   39  nolo contendere to, regardless of adjudication, a felony under
   40  chapter 409, chapter 817, or chapter 893, or a similar felony
   41  offense committed in another state or jurisdiction 21 U.S.C. ss.
   42  801-970, or 42 U.S.C. ss. 1395-1396, unless the sentence and any
   43  subsequent period of probation for such conviction or plea pleas
   44  ended: more than 15 years prior to the date of the application;
   45         1.For a felony of the first or second degree, more than 15
   46  years before the date of application.
   47         2.For a felony of the third degree, more than 10 years
   48  before the date of application, except for a felony of the third
   49  degree under s. 893.13(6)(a).
   50         3.For a felony of the third degree under s. 893.13(6)(a),
   51  more than 5 years before the date of application.
   52  
   53  Notwithstanding s. 120.60, for a felony in which the defendant
   54  entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere in an agreement with
   55  the court to enter a pretrial intervention or drug diversion
   56  program, the board, or the department if there is no board, may
   57  not approve or deny the application for a license, certificate,
   58  or registration until the final resolution of the case;
   59         (b)Has been convicted of, or entered a plea of guilty or
   60  nolo contendere to, regardless of adjudication, a felony under
   61  21 U.S.C. ss. 801-970, or 42 U.S.C. ss. 1395-1396, unless the
   62  sentence and any subsequent period of probation for such
   63  conviction or plea ended more than 15 years before the date of
   64  the application;
   65         (c)(b)Has been terminated for cause from the Florida
   66  Medicaid program pursuant to s. 409.913, unless the applicant
   67  has been in good standing with the Florida Medicaid program for
   68  the most recent 5 years;
   69         (d)(c)Has been terminated for cause, pursuant to the
   70  appeals procedures established by the state or Federal
   71  Government, from any other state Medicaid program or the federal
   72  Medicare program, unless the applicant has been in good standing
   73  with a state Medicaid program or the federal Medicare program
   74  for the most recent 5 years and the termination occurred at
   75  least 20 years before prior to the date of the application; or.
   76         (e)Is currently listed on the United States Department of
   77  Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s List of
   78  Excluded Individuals and Entities.
   79  
   80  This subsection does not apply to an applicant for initial
   81  licensure or certification who was enrolled in an educational or
   82  training program on or before July 1, 2011, which was recognized
   83  by a board or, if there is no board, recognized by the
   84  department, and who applied for licensure after July 1, 2011.
   85         (3)The department shall refuse to renew a license,
   86  certificate, or registration of any applicant if the candidate
   87  or applicant or any principal, officer, agent, managing
   88  employee, or affiliated person of the applicant:
   89         (a)Has been convicted of, or entered a plea of guilty or
   90  nolo contendere to, regardless of adjudication, a felony under
   91  chapter 409, chapter 817, or chapter 893, or a similar felony
   92  offense committed in another state or jurisdiction since July 1,
   93  2010.
   94         (b)Has been convicted of, or entered a plea of guilty or
   95  nolo contendere to, regardless of adjudication, a felony under
   96  21 U.S.C. ss. 801-970, or 42 U.S.C. ss. 1395-1396, since July 1,
   97  2011.
   98         (c)Has been terminated for cause from the Florida Medicaid
   99  program pursuant to s. 409.913, unless the applicant has been in
  100  good standing with the Florida Medicaid program for the most
  101  recent 5 years.
  102         (d)Has been terminated for cause, pursuant to the appeals
  103  procedures established by the state, from any other state
  104  Medicaid program, unless the applicant has been in good standing
  105  with a state Medicaid program for the most recent 5 years and
  106  the termination occurred at least 20 years before the date of
  107  the application.
  108         (e)Is currently listed on the United States Department of
  109  Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s List of
  110  Excluded Individuals and Entities.
  111  
  112  For a felony in which the defendant entered a plea of guilty or
  113  nolo contendere in an agreement with the court to enter a
  114  pretrial intervention or drug diversion program, the department
  115  may not approve or deny the application for a renewal of a
  116  license, certificate, or registration until the final resolution
  117  of the case.
  118         (4)(3) Licensed health care practitioners shall report
  119  allegations of health care Medicaid fraud to the department,
  120  regardless of the practice setting in which the alleged Medicaid
  121  fraud occurred.
  122         (5)(4) The acceptance by a licensing authority of a
  123  candidate’s relinquishment of a license which is offered in
  124  response to or anticipation of the filing of administrative
  125  charges alleging health care Medicaid fraud or similar charges
  126  constitutes the permanent revocation of the license.
  127         Section 2. Subsection (6) of section 456.036, Florida
  128  Statutes, is amended to read:
  129         456.036 Licenses; active and inactive status; delinquency.—
  130         (6)(a)Except as provided in paragraph (b), a delinquent
  131  licensee must affirmatively apply with a complete application,
  132  as defined by rule of the board, or the department if there is
  133  no board, for active or inactive status during the licensure
  134  cycle in which a licensee becomes delinquent. Failure by a
  135  delinquent licensee to become active or inactive before the
  136  expiration of the current licensure cycle renders the license
  137  null without any further action by the board or the department.
  138  Any subsequent licensure shall be as a result of applying for
  139  and meeting all requirements imposed on an applicant for new
  140  licensure.
  141         (b) A delinquent licensee whose license becomes delinquent
  142  before the final resolution of a case under s. 456.0635(3) must
  143  affirmatively apply by submitting a complete application, as
  144  defined by rule of the board, or the department if there is no
  145  board, for active or inactive status during the licensure cycle
  146  in which the case achieves final resolution by order of the
  147  court. Failure by a delinquent licensee to apply for an active
  148  or inactive license before the expiration of that licensure
  149  cycle renders the license null without any further action by the
  150  board or the department. Any subsequent licensure shall be as a
  151  result of applying for and meeting all requirements imposed on
  152  an applicant for new licensure.
  153         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2012.