SB 1560 — Medical Placement for High-acuity Children

• Defines "high-acuity child" as a child from birth to age 18 with intensive and complex medical, developmental, behavioral health, or disability needs requiring immediate clinical assessment, specialized care, and medical placement
• Creates the "Medical Placement for High-acuity Children Act" (s. 39.4078), establishing a court-supervised process for placing high-acuity children in licensed medical beds providing 24/7 clinical oversight, nursing care, and therapeutic supports, with mandatory multidisciplinary team staffings within 72 hours of classification and periodic court reviews every 30 days
• Limits medical placements to 90 consecutive days unless the court grants an extension supported by clear and convincing evidence of continued medical necessity, and requires written transition plans addressing medication continuity, treatment hand-offs, education, and family contact when moving between placements
• Requires the Department of Children and Families to submit an annual report to the Legislature by January 31, 2027, and annually thereafter on admissions, placement types, lengths of stay, outcomes, education continuity, and service gaps related to high-acuity child placements
• Expands eligibility for high-acuity children across multiple programs, including Children's Medical Services, the Medicaid waiver program (Category 1 priority), community action treatment teams, and mobile response teams, and authorizes the Agency for Health Care Administration to pay for medical bed placements through optional Medicaid services