Bill Text: FL S1602 | 2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Health Care Patient Protection
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-02-27 - Filed [S1602 Detail]
Download: Florida-2025-S1602-Introduced.html
Florida Senate - 2025 SB 1602
By Senator Harrell
31-01059A-25 20251602__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to health care patient protection;
3 amending s. 395.1012, F.S.; requiring hospital
4 emergency departments to develop and implement
5 policies and procedures, conduct training, record
6 weights in a certain manner, designate a pediatric
7 emergency care coordinator, and conduct specified
8 assessments; requiring each hospital emergency
9 department to submit a specified report to the Agency
10 for Health Care Administration by specified dates;
11 amending s. 395.1055, F.S.; requiring the agency to
12 adopt certain rules for comprehensive emergency
13 management plans, and, in consultation with the
14 Florida Emergency Medical Services for Children State
15 Partnership Program, establish minimum standards for
16 pediatric patient care in hospital emergency
17 departments; amending s. 408.05, F.S.; requiring the
18 agency to collect and publish the results of specified
19 assessments submitted by hospitals by specified dates;
20 providing an effective date.
21
22 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
23
24 Section 1. Subsection (5) is added to section 395.1012,
25 Florida Statutes, to read:
26 395.1012 Patient safety.—
27 (5)(a) Each hospital with an emergency department must:
28 1. Develop and implement policies and procedures for
29 pediatric patient care in the emergency department which reflect
30 evidence-based best practices relating to, at a minimum:
31 a. Triage.
32 b. Measuring and recording vital signs.
33 c. Weighing and recording weights in kilograms.
34 d. Calculating medication dosages.
35 e. Use of pediatric instruments.
36 2. Conduct training at least annually on the policies and
37 procedures developed under this subsection. The training must
38 include, at a minimum:
39 a. The use of pediatric instruments, as applicable to each
40 licensure type, using clinical simulation as defined in s.
41 464.003.
42 b. Drills that simulate emergency situations. Each
43 emergency department must conduct drills at least annually.
44 (b) Each hospital emergency department must:
45 1. Designate a pediatric emergency care coordinator. The
46 pediatric emergency care coordinator must be a physician or a
47 physician assistant licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459, a
48 nurse licensed under chapter 464, or a paramedic licensed under
49 chapter 401. The pediatric emergency care coordinator is
50 responsible for implementation of and ensuring fidelity to the
51 policies and procedures adopted under this subsection.
52 2. Conduct the National Pediatric Readiness Assessment
53 developed by the National Pediatric Readiness Project, in
54 accordance with timelines established by the National Pediatric
55 Readiness Project. Each hospital emergency department shall
56 submit the results of the assessment to the agency by December
57 31, 2026, and each December 31 during a year in which the
58 National Pediatric Readiness Assessment is conducted thereafter.
59 Section 2. Subsections (4) through (19) of section
60 395.1055, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (5)
61 through (20), respectively, paragraph (c) of subsection (1) is
62 amended, and a new subsection (4) is added to that section to
63 read:
64 395.1055 Rules and enforcement.—
65 (1) The agency shall adopt rules pursuant to ss. 120.536(1)
66 and 120.54 to implement the provisions of this part, which shall
67 include reasonable and fair minimum standards for ensuring that:
68 (c) A comprehensive emergency management plan is prepared
69 and updated annually. Such standards must be included in the
70 rules adopted by the agency after consulting with the Division
71 of Emergency Management. At a minimum, the rules must provide
72 for plan components that address emergency evacuation
73 transportation; adequate sheltering arrangements; postdisaster
74 activities, including emergency power, food, and water;
75 postdisaster transportation; supplies; staffing; emergency
76 equipment; individual identification of residents and transfer
77 of records, and responding to family inquiries, and the needs of
78 pediatric and neonatal patients. The comprehensive emergency
79 management plan is subject to review and approval by the local
80 emergency management agency. During its review, the local
81 emergency management agency shall ensure that the following
82 agencies, at a minimum, are given the opportunity to review the
83 plan: the Department of Elderly Affairs, the Department of
84 Health, the Agency for Health Care Administration, and the
85 Division of Emergency Management. Also, appropriate volunteer
86 organizations must be given the opportunity to review the plan.
87 The local emergency management agency shall complete its review
88 within 60 days and either approve the plan or advise the
89 facility of necessary revisions.
90 (4) The agency, in consultation with the Florida Emergency
91 Medical Services for Children State Partnership Program, shall
92 adopt rules that establish minimum standards for pediatric
93 patient care in hospital emergency departments, including, but
94 not limited to, availability and immediate access to pediatric
95 specific equipment and supplies.
96 Section 3. Paragraph (n) is added to subsection (3) of
97 section 408.05, Florida Statutes, to read:
98 408.05 Florida Center for Health Information and
99 Transparency.—
100 (3) HEALTH INFORMATION TRANSPARENCY.—In order to
101 disseminate and facilitate the availability of comparable and
102 uniform health information, the agency shall perform the
103 following functions:
104 (n)1. Collect the results of National Pediatric Readiness
105 Assessments submitted by hospitals pursuant to s. 395.1012(5).
106 2. By April 1, 2027, and each April 1 following a year in
107 which the National Pediatric Readiness Assessment is conducted
108 thereafter, publish the overall assessment score for each
109 hospital emergency department, and provide a comparison to the
110 national average score when it becomes available.
111 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.
