HB 85 - Recovery Care Services Summary

• Establishes a new category of licensed healthcare facility called "recovery care centers" designed to provide postsurgical and postdiagnostic care to patients who do not require acute hospitalization and can be discharged within 72 hours.

• Defines recovery care services as medical and nursing care excluding intensive care, coronary care, and critical care services, with patients requiring physician certification of medical stability prior to admission.

• Requires recovery care centers to have emergency care protocols, transfer agreements with at least one hospital, discharge planning procedures, dietary services, pharmacy services, and proper medication administration procedures.

• Mandates that recovery care centers be licensed through the Agency for Health Care Administration and comply with Florida Building Code special-occupancy provisions and Health Care Licensing Procedures Act requirements, with specified exemptions from certain licensure standards.

• Takes effect July 1, 2016.