The Florida Senate

400.9935  Clinic responsibilities.--

(1)  Each clinic shall appoint a medical director or clinic director who shall agree in writing to accept legal responsibility for the following activities on behalf of the clinic. The medical director or the clinic director shall:

(a)  Have signs identifying the medical director or clinic director posted in a conspicuous location within the clinic readily visible to all patients.

(b)  Ensure that all practitioners providing health care services or supplies to patients maintain a current active and unencumbered Florida license.

(c)  Review any patient referral contracts or agreements executed by the clinic.

(d)  Ensure that all health care practitioners at the clinic have active appropriate certification or licensure for the level of care being provided.

(e)  Serve as the clinic records owner as defined in s. 456.057

(f)  Ensure compliance with the recordkeeping, office surgery, and adverse incident reporting requirements of chapter 456, the respective practice acts, and rules adopted under this part.

(g)  Conduct systematic reviews of clinic billings to ensure that the billings are not fraudulent or unlawful. Upon discovery of an unlawful charge, the medical director or clinic director shall take immediate corrective action. If the clinic performs only the technical component of magnetic resonance imaging, static radiographs, computed tomography, or positron emission tomography, and provides the professional interpretation of such services, in a fixed facility that is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations or the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, and the American College of Radiology; and if, in the preceding quarter, the percentage of scans performed by that clinic which was billed to ¹all personal injury protection insurance carriers was less than 15 percent, the chief financial officer of the clinic may, in a written acknowledgment provided to the agency, assume the responsibility for the conduct of the systematic reviews of clinic billings to ensure that the billings are not fraudulent or unlawful.

(h)  Not refer a patient to the clinic if the clinic performs magnetic resonance imaging, static radiographs, computed tomography, or positron emission tomography. The term "refer a patient" means the referral of one or more patients of the medical or clinical director or a member of the medical or clinical director's group practice to the clinic for magnetic resonance imaging, static radiographs, computed tomography, or positron emission tomography. A medical director who is found to violate this paragraph commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084

(2)  Any business that becomes a clinic after commencing operations must, within 5 days after becoming a clinic, file a license application under this part and shall be subject to all provisions of this part applicable to a clinic.

(3)  Any contract to serve as a medical director or a clinic director entered into or renewed by a physician or a licensed health care practitioner in violation of this part is void as contrary to public policy. This subsection shall apply to contracts entered into or renewed on or after March 1, 2004.

(4)  All charges or reimbursement claims made by or on behalf of a clinic that is required to be licensed under this part, but that is not so licensed, or that is otherwise operating in violation of this part, are unlawful charges, and therefore are noncompensable and unenforceable.

(5)  Any person establishing, operating, or managing an unlicensed clinic otherwise required to be licensed under this part, or any person who knowingly files a false or misleading license application or license renewal application, or false or misleading information related to such application or department rule, commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084

(6)  Any licensed health care provider who violates this part is subject to discipline in accordance with this chapter and his or her respective practice act.

(7)  The agency may fine, or suspend or revoke the license of, any clinic licensed under this part for operating in violation of the requirements of this part or the rules adopted by the agency.

(8)  The agency shall investigate allegations of noncompliance with this part and the rules adopted under this part.

(9)  Any person or entity providing health care services which is not a clinic, as defined under s. 400.9905, may voluntarily apply for a certificate of exemption from licensure under its exempt status with the agency on a form that sets forth its name or names and addresses, a statement of the reasons why it cannot be defined as a clinic, and other information deemed necessary by the agency. An exemption is not transferable. The agency may charge an applicant for a certificate of exemption in an amount equal to $100 or the actual cost of processing the certificate, whichever is less.

(10)  The clinic shall display its license in a conspicuous location within the clinic readily visible to all patients.

(11)(a)  Each clinic engaged in magnetic resonance imaging services must be accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the American College of Radiology, or the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, within 1 year after licensure. However, a clinic may request a single, 6-month extension if it provides evidence to the agency establishing that, for good cause shown, such clinic can not be accredited within 1 year after licensure, and that such accreditation will be completed within the 6-month extension. After obtaining accreditation as required by this subsection, each such clinic must maintain accreditation as a condition of renewal of its license.

(b)  The agency may deny the application or revoke the license of any entity formed for the purpose of avoiding compliance with the accreditation provisions of this subsection and whose principals were previously principals of an entity that was unable to meet the accreditation requirements within the specified timeframes. The agency may adopt rules as to the accreditation of magnetic resonance imaging clinics.

(12)  The agency shall give full faith and credit pertaining to any past variance and waiver granted to a magnetic resonance imaging clinic from rule 64-2002, Florida Administrative Code, by the Department of Health, until September 2004. After that date, such clinic must request a variance and waiver from the agency under s. 120.542

(13)  The clinic shall display a sign in a conspicuous location within the clinic readily visible to all patients indicating that, pursuant to s. 626.9892, the Department of Financial Services may pay rewards of up to $25,000 to persons providing information leading to the arrest and conviction of persons committing crimes investigated by the Division of Insurance Fraud arising from violations of s. 440.105, s. 624.15, s. 626.9541, s. 626.989, or s. 817.234 An authorized employee of the Division of Insurance Fraud may make unannounced inspections of a clinic licensed under this part as necessary to determine whether the clinic is in compliance with this subsection. A licensed clinic shall allow full and complete access to the premises to such authorized employee of the division who makes an inspection to determine compliance with this subsection.

History.--s. 4, ch. 2003-411; s. 17, ch. 2004-298; s. 29, ch. 2004-350; s. 4, ch. 2006-305.

¹Note.--As amended by s. 29, ch. 2004-350. The amendment by s. 17, ch. 2004-298, uses the phrase "a personal injury protection insurance carrier" instead of the phrase "all personal injury protection insurance carriers."