Florida Senate - 2026                                    SB 1302
       
       
        
       By Senator Rouson
       
       
       
       
       
       16-01111B-26                                          20261302__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to pediatric behavioral and mental
    3         health screenings; creating s. 409.9746, F.S.;
    4         requiring the Agency for Health Care Administration to
    5         adopt rules establishing certain practice parameters
    6         and protocols for early periodic screening,
    7         diagnostic, and treatment services for pediatric
    8         behavioral and mental health screenings; specifying
    9         such practice parameters and protocols; requiring
   10         health care providers to provide a parent or legal
   11         guardian information on sleep, screen time, and
   12         nutrition; requiring the Department of Health to
   13         develop and make such information available for
   14         download by health care providers; requiring the
   15         agency, by a specified date, to adopt performance
   16         measures relating to early periodic screening,
   17         diagnostic, and treatment services; requiring the
   18         agency to collect and report performance measures and
   19         outcome data to the Governor and the Legislature,
   20         beginning on a specified date and annually thereafter;
   21         providing an effective date.
   22          
   23  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   24  
   25         Section 1. Section 409.9746, Florida Statutes, is created
   26  to read:
   27         409.9746 Early periodic screening, diagnostic, and
   28  treatment services; pediatric behavioral and mental health
   29  screenings.—
   30         (1) The agency shall adopt rules establishing practice
   31  parameters and protocols and requiring managed care plans to
   32  provide early periodic screening, diagnostic, and treatment
   33  services consistent with such practice parameters and protocols,
   34  including, but not limited to, all of the following:
   35         (a) The use of validated, age-appropriate, trauma-informed
   36  diagnostic tools based on nationally recognized clinical
   37  practice guidelines to provide early periodic screening,
   38  diagnostic, and treatment services to participants from birth
   39  through 21 years of age.
   40         (b) Authorizing a health care provider to use mobile
   41  response teams, community mental health centers, behavioral
   42  health hubs, and other qualified health care providers for
   43  consultation, support with medication management, and
   44  introduction of a patient to another health care provider as a
   45  referral.
   46         (c) Encouraging parents or legal guardians to participate
   47  in mental health programs that provide education and support,
   48  including, but not limited to, general parenting skills or more
   49  specialized programs that offer education and support for more
   50  specific behavioral or mental health issues.
   51         (d) Requiring health care providers to give parents or
   52  legal guardians information created by the Department of Health
   53  about sleep, screen time, and nutrition. The department shall
   54  develop such information and make it available for download by
   55  health care providers.
   56         (2) By January 1, 2027, the agency shall adopt performance
   57  measures related to early periodic screening, diagnostic, and
   58  treatment services and establish outcome data reporting
   59  requirements. The agency shall use the measures as a tool to
   60  monitor plan performance in connection with other measures
   61  required pursuant to this part. Beginning January 1, 2028, and
   62  annually thereafter, the agency shall submit a report on the
   63  performance measures and outcome data to the Governor, the
   64  President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
   65  Representatives.
   66         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.