FL H0407

Agency for Health Care Administration, in consultation with Department of Children and Families, shall establish a pilot project in Medicaid Region 8 to license one or more facilities treating infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome, running from July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2020.

Licensed facilities must be private, not-for-profit Florida corporations and Medicaid providers with on-call medical directors, 24-hour nursing care, transfer agreements with nearby hospitals, and ability to accommodate eligible mothers for breastfeeding.

Facilities may not treat infants for longer than 6 months, cannot accept infants with serious or life-threatening conditions other than neonatal abstinence syndrome, and must comply with background screening requirements and part II of chapter 408.

Initial licensure fees and biennial renewal fees may not exceed $1,000, and facilities are exempt from obtaining a certificate of need.

Department of Health must contract with a state university to study treatment outcomes, risks, benefits, and cost differentials by December 21, 2019, with facilities and hospitals required to provide relevant financial and medical data to the university for research.