The Florida Senate

383.309  Minimum standards for birth centers; rules and enforcement.--

(1)  The department shall adopt, amend, promulgate, and enforce rules to implement the provisions of this act, which rules shall include, but are not limited to, reasonable and fair minimum standards for ensuring that:

(a)  Sufficient numbers and qualified types of personnel and occupational disciplines are available at all times to provide necessary and adequate patient care and safety.

(b)  Infection control, housekeeping, sanitary conditions, disaster plan, and medical record procedures that will adequately protect patient care and provide safety are established and implemented.

(c)  Construction, maintenance, repair, and renovation of licensed facilities are governed by rules of the department which utilize the most recently adopted, nationally recognized codes wherever feasible. Facilities licensed under s. 383.305 are exempt from local construction standards to the extent that those standards are in conflict with the standards adopted by rule of the department.

(d)  Licensed facilities are established, organized, and operated consistent with established programmatic standards.

(2)  Any licensed facility which is in operation at the time of promulgation of any applicable rule under ss. 383.30-383.335 shall be given a reasonable time under the particular circumstances, not to exceed 1 year from the date of such promulgation, within which to comply with such rule.

History.--ss. 23, 27, ch. 84-283; s. 4, ch. 91-429.