409.912  Cost-effective purchasing of health care.--The agency shall purchase goods and services for Medicaid recipients in the most cost-effective manner consistent with the delivery of quality medical care. The agency shall maximize the use of prepaid per capita and prepaid aggregate fixed-sum basis services when appropriate and other alternative service delivery and reimbursement methodologies, including competitive bidding pursuant to s. 287.057, designed to facilitate the cost-effective purchase of a case-managed continuum of care. The agency shall also require providers to minimize the exposure of recipients to the need for acute inpatient, custodial, and other institutional care and the inappropriate or unnecessary use of high-cost services. The agency may establish prior authorization requirements for certain populations of Medicaid beneficiaries, certain drug classes, or particular drugs to prevent fraud, abuse, overuse, and possible dangerous drug interactions. The Pharmaceutical and Therapeutics Committee shall make recommendations to the agency on drugs for which prior authorization is required. The agency shall inform the Pharmaceutical and Therapeutics Committee of its decisions regarding drugs subject to prior authorization.

(1)  The agency may enter into agreements with appropriate agents of other state agencies or of any agency of the Federal Government and accept such duties in respect to social welfare or public aid as may be necessary to implement the provisions of Title XIX of the Social Security Act and ss. 409.901-409.920.

(2)  The agency may contract with health maintenance organizations certified pursuant to part I of chapter 641 for the provision of services to recipients.

(3)  The agency may contract with:

(a)  An entity that provides no prepaid health care services other than Medicaid services under contract with the agency and which is owned and operated by a county, county health department, or county-owned and operated hospital to provide health care services on a prepaid or fixed-sum basis to recipients, which entity may provide such prepaid services either directly or through arrangements with other providers. Such prepaid health care services entities must be licensed under parts I and III by January 1, 1998, and until then are exempt from the provisions of part I of chapter 641. An entity recognized under this paragraph which demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Department of Insurance that it is backed by the full faith and credit of the county in which it is located may be exempted from s. 641.225.

(b)  An entity that is providing comprehensive behavioral health care services to certain Medicaid recipients through a capitated, prepaid arrangement pursuant to the federal waiver provided for by s. 409.905(5). Such an entity must be licensed under chapter 624, chapter 636, or chapter 641 and must possess the clinical systems and operational competence to manage risk and provide comprehensive behavioral health care to Medicaid recipients. As used in this paragraph, the term "comprehensive behavioral health care services" means covered mental health and substance abuse treatment services that are available to Medicaid recipients. The secretary of the Department of Children and Family Services shall approve provisions of procurements related to children in the department's care or custody prior to enrolling such children in a prepaid behavioral health plan. Any contract awarded under this paragraph must be competitively procured. In developing the behavioral health care prepaid plan procurement document, the agency shall ensure that the procurement document requires the contractor to develop and implement a plan to ensure compliance with s. 394.4574 related to services provided to residents of licensed assisted living facilities that hold a limited mental health license. The agency must ensure that Medicaid recipients have available the choice of at least two managed care plans for their behavioral health care services. The agency may reimburse for substance-abuse-treatment services on a fee-for-service basis until the agency finds that adequate funds are available for capitated, prepaid arrangements.

1.  By January 1, 2001, the agency shall modify the contracts with the entities providing comprehensive inpatient and outpatient mental health care services to Medicaid recipients in Hillsborough, Highlands, Hardee, Manatee, and Polk Counties, to include substance-abuse-treatment services.

2.  By December 31, 2001, the agency shall contract with entities providing comprehensive behavioral health care services to Medicaid recipients through capitated, prepaid arrangements in Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Escambia, Glades, Hendry, Lee, Okaloosa, Pasco, Pinellas, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, and Walton Counties. The agency may contract with entities providing comprehensive behavioral health care services to Medicaid recipients through capitated, prepaid arrangements in Alachua County. The agency may determine if Sarasota County shall be included as a separate catchment area or included in any other agency geographic area.

3.  Children residing in a Department of Juvenile Justice residential program approved as a Medicaid behavioral health overlay services provider shall not be included in a behavioral health care prepaid health plan pursuant to this paragraph.

4.  In converting to a prepaid system of delivery, the agency shall in its procurement document require an entity providing comprehensive behavioral health care services to prevent the displacement of indigent care patients by enrollees in the Medicaid prepaid health plan providing behavioral health care services from facilities receiving state funding to provide indigent behavioral health care, to facilities licensed under chapter 395 which do not receive state funding for indigent behavioral health care, or reimburse the unsubsidized facility for the cost of behavioral health care provided to the displaced indigent care patient.

5.  Traditional community mental health providers under contract with the Department of Children and Family Services pursuant to part IV of chapter 394 and inpatient mental health providers licensed pursuant to chapter 395 must be offered an opportunity to accept or decline a contract to participate in any provider network for prepaid behavioral health services.

(c)  A federally qualified health center or an entity owned by one or more federally qualified health centers or an entity owned by other migrant and community health centers receiving non-Medicaid financial support from the Federal Government to provide health care services on a prepaid or fixed-sum basis to recipients. Such prepaid health care services entity must be licensed under parts I and III of chapter 641, but shall be prohibited from serving Medicaid recipients on a prepaid basis, until such licensure has been obtained. However, such an entity is exempt from s. 641.225 if the entity meets the requirements specified in subsections (14) and (15).

(d)  No more than four provider service networks for demonstration projects to test Medicaid direct contracting. The demonstration projects may be reimbursed on a fee-for-service or prepaid basis. A provider service network which is reimbursed by the agency on a prepaid basis shall be exempt from parts I and III of chapter 641, but must meet appropriate financial reserve, quality assurance, and patient rights requirements as established by the agency. The agency shall award contracts on a competitive bid basis and shall select bidders based upon price and quality of care. Medicaid recipients assigned to a demonstration project shall be chosen equally from those who would otherwise have been assigned to prepaid plans and MediPass. The agency is authorized to seek federal Medicaid waivers as necessary to implement the provisions of this section. A demonstration project awarded pursuant to this paragraph shall be for 4 years from the date of implementation.

(e)  An entity that provides comprehensive behavioral health care services to certain Medicaid recipients through an administrative services organization agreement. Such an entity must possess the clinical systems and operational competence to provide comprehensive health care to Medicaid recipients. As used in this paragraph, the term "comprehensive behavioral health care services" means covered mental health and substance abuse treatment services that are available to Medicaid recipients. Any contract awarded under this paragraph must be competitively procured. The agency must ensure that Medicaid recipients have available the choice of at least two managed care plans for their behavioral health care services.

(f)  An entity in Pasco County or Pinellas County that provides in-home physician services to Medicaid recipients with degenerative neurological diseases in order to test the cost-effectiveness of enhanced home-based medical care. The entity providing the services shall be reimbursed on a fee-for-service basis at a rate not less than comparable Medicare reimbursement rates. The agency may apply for waivers of federal regulations necessary to implement such program. This paragraph shall be repealed on July 1, 2002.

(g)  Children's provider networks that provide care coordination and care management for Medicaid-eligible pediatric patients, primary care, authorization of specialty care, and other urgent and emergency care through organized providers designed to service Medicaid eligibles under age 18. The networks shall provide after-hour operations, including evening and weekend hours, to promote, when appropriate, the use of the children's networks rather than hospital emergency departments.

(4)  The agency may contract with any public or private entity otherwise authorized by this section on a prepaid or fixed-sum basis for the provision of health care services to recipients. An entity may provide prepaid services to recipients, either directly or through arrangements with other entities, if each entity involved in providing services:

(a)  Is organized primarily for the purpose of providing health care or other services of the type regularly offered to Medicaid recipients;

(b)  Ensures that services meet the standards set by the agency for quality, appropriateness, and timeliness;

(c)  Makes provisions satisfactory to the agency for insolvency protection and ensures that neither enrolled Medicaid recipients nor the agency will be liable for the debts of the entity;

(d)  Submits to the agency, if a private entity, a financial plan that the agency finds to be fiscally sound and that provides for working capital in the form of cash or equivalent liquid assets excluding revenues from Medicaid premium payments equal to at least the first 3 months of operating expenses or $200,000, whichever is greater;

(e)  Furnishes evidence satisfactory to the agency of adequate liability insurance coverage or an adequate plan of self-insurance to respond to claims for injuries arising out of the furnishing of health care;

(f)  Provides, through contract or otherwise, for periodic review of its medical facilities and services, as required by the agency; and

(g)  Provides organizational, operational, financial, and other information required by the agency.

(5)  The agency may contract on a prepaid or fixed-sum basis with any health insurer that:

(a)  Pays for health care services provided to enrolled Medicaid recipients in exchange for a premium payment paid by the agency;

(b)  Assumes the underwriting risk; and

(c)  Is organized and licensed under applicable provisions of the Florida Insurance Code and is currently in good standing with the Department of Insurance.

(6)  The agency may contract on a prepaid or fixed-sum basis with an exclusive provider organization to provide health care services to Medicaid recipients provided that the exclusive provider organization meets applicable managed care plan requirements in this section, ss. 409.9122, 409.9123, 409.9128, and 627.6472, and other applicable provisions of law.

(7)  The Agency for Health Care Administration may provide cost-effective purchasing of chiropractic services on a fee-for-service basis to Medicaid recipients through arrangements with a statewide chiropractic preferred provider organization incorporated in this state as a not-for-profit corporation. The agency shall ensure that the benefit limits and prior authorization requirements in the current Medicaid program shall apply to the services provided by the chiropractic preferred provider organization.

(8)  The agency shall not contract on a prepaid or fixed-sum basis for Medicaid services with an entity which knows or reasonably should know that any officer, director, agent, managing employee, or owner of stock or beneficial interest in excess of 5 percent common or preferred stock, or the entity itself, has been found guilty of, regardless of adjudication, or entered a plea of nolo contendere, or guilty, to:

(a)  Fraud;

(b)  Violation of federal or state antitrust statutes, including those proscribing price fixing between competitors and the allocation of customers among competitors;

(c)  Commission of a felony involving embezzlement, theft, forgery, income tax evasion, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, making false statements, receiving stolen property, making false claims, or obstruction of justice; or

(d)  Any crime in any jurisdiction which directly relates to the provision of health services on a prepaid or fixed-sum basis.

(9)  The agency, after notifying the Legislature, may apply for waivers of applicable federal laws and regulations as necessary to implement more appropriate systems of health care for Medicaid recipients and reduce the cost of the Medicaid program to the state and federal governments and shall implement such programs, after legislative approval, within a reasonable period of time after federal approval. These programs must be designed primarily to reduce the need for inpatient care, custodial care and other long-term or institutional care, and other high-cost services.

(a)  Prior to seeking legislative approval of such a waiver as authorized by this subsection, the agency shall provide notice and an opportunity for public comment. Notice shall be provided to all persons who have made requests of the agency for advance notice and shall be published in the Florida Administrative Weekly not less than 28 days prior to the intended action.

(b)  Notwithstanding s. 216.292, funds that are appropriated to the Department of Elderly Affairs for the Assisted Living for the Elderly Medicaid waiver and are not expended shall be transferred to the agency to fund Medicaid-reimbursed nursing home care.

(10)  The agency shall establish a postpayment utilization control program designed to identify recipients who may inappropriately overuse or underuse Medicaid services and shall provide methods to correct such misuse.

(11)  The agency shall develop and provide coordinated systems of care for Medicaid recipients and may contract with public or private entities to develop and administer such systems of care among public and private health care providers in a given geographic area.

(12)  The agency shall operate or contract for the operation of utilization management and incentive systems designed to encourage cost-effective use services.

(13)(a)  The agency shall identify health care utilization and price patterns within the Medicaid program which are not cost-effective or medically appropriate and assess the effectiveness of new or alternate methods of providing and monitoring service, and may implement such methods as it considers appropriate. Such methods may include disease management initiatives, an integrated and systematic approach for managing the health care needs of recipients who are at risk of or diagnosed with a specific disease by using best practices, prevention strategies, clinical-practice improvement, clinical interventions and protocols, outcomes research, information technology, and other tools and resources to reduce overall costs and improve measurable outcomes.

(b)  The responsibility of the agency under this subsection shall include the development of capabilities to identify actual and optimal practice patterns; patient and provider educational initiatives; methods for determining patient compliance with prescribed treatments; fraud, waste, and abuse prevention and detection programs; and beneficiary case management programs.

1.  The practice pattern identification program shall evaluate practitioner prescribing patterns based on national and regional practice guidelines, comparing practitioners to their peer groups. The agency and its Drug Utilization Review Board shall consult with a panel of practicing health care professionals consisting of the following: the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate shall each appoint three physicians licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459; and the Governor shall appoint two pharmacists licensed under chapter 465 and one dentist licensed under chapter 466 who is an oral surgeon. Terms of the panel members shall expire at the discretion of the appointing official. The panel shall begin its work by August 1, 1999, regardless of the number of appointments made by that date. The advisory panel shall be responsible for evaluating treatment guidelines and recommending ways to incorporate their use in the practice pattern identification program. Practitioners who are prescribing inappropriately or inefficiently, as determined by the agency, may have their prescribing of certain drugs subject to prior authorization.

2.  The agency shall also develop educational interventions designed to promote the proper use of medications by providers and beneficiaries.

3.  The agency shall implement a pharmacy fraud, waste, and abuse initiative that may include a surety bond or letter of credit requirement for participating pharmacies, enhanced provider auditing practices, the use of additional fraud and abuse software, recipient management programs for beneficiaries inappropriately using their benefits, and other steps that will eliminate provider and recipient fraud, waste, and abuse. The initiative shall address enforcement efforts to reduce the number and use of counterfeit prescriptions.

4.  The agency may apply for any federal waivers needed to implement this paragraph.

(14)  An entity contracting on a prepaid or fixed-sum basis shall, in addition to meeting any applicable statutory surplus requirements, also maintain at all times in the form of cash, investments that mature in less than 180 days allowable as admitted assets by the Department of Insurance, and restricted funds or deposits controlled by the agency or the Department of Insurance, a surplus amount equal to one-and-one-half times the entity's monthly Medicaid prepaid revenues. As used in this subsection, the term "surplus" means the entity's total assets minus total liabilities. If an entity's surplus falls below an amount equal to one-and-one-half times the entity's monthly Medicaid prepaid revenues, the agency shall prohibit the entity from engaging in marketing and preenrollment activities, shall cease to process new enrollments, and shall not renew the entity's contract until the required balance is achieved. The requirements of this subsection do not apply:

(a)  Where a public entity agrees to fund any deficit incurred by the contracting entity; or

(b)  Where the entity's performance and obligations are guaranteed in writing by a guaranteeing organization which:

1.  Has been in operation for at least 5 years and has assets in excess of $50 million; or

2.  Submits a written guarantee acceptable to the agency which is irrevocable during the term of the contracting entity's contract with the agency and, upon termination of the contract, until the agency receives proof of satisfaction of all outstanding obligations incurred under the contract.

(15)(a)  The agency may require an entity contracting on a prepaid or fixed-sum basis to establish a restricted insolvency protection account with a federally guaranteed financial institution licensed to do business in this state. The entity shall deposit into that account 5 percent of the capitation payments made by the agency each month until a maximum total of 2 percent of the total current contract amount is reached. The restricted insolvency protection account may be drawn upon with the authorized signatures of two persons designated by the entity and two representatives of the agency. If the agency finds that the entity is insolvent, the agency may draw upon the account solely with the two authorized signatures of representatives of the agency, and the funds may be disbursed to meet financial obligations incurred by the entity under the prepaid contract. If the contract is terminated, expired, or not continued, the account balance must be released by the agency to the entity upon receipt of proof of satisfaction of all outstanding obligations incurred under this contract.

(b)  The agency may waive the insolvency protection account requirement in writing when evidence is on file with the agency of adequate insolvency insurance and reinsurance that will protect enrollees if the entity becomes unable to meet its obligations.

(16)  An entity that contracts with the agency on a prepaid or fixed-sum basis for the provision of Medicaid services shall reimburse any hospital or physician that is outside the entity's authorized geographic service area as specified in its contract with the agency, and that provides services authorized by the entity to its members, at a rate negotiated with the hospital or physician for the provision of services or according to the lesser of the following:

(a)  The usual and customary charges made to the general public by the hospital or physician; or

(b)  The Florida Medicaid reimbursement rate established for the hospital or physician.

(17)  When a merger or acquisition of a Medicaid prepaid contractor has been approved by the Department of Insurance pursuant to s. 628.4615, the agency shall approve the assignment or transfer of the appropriate Medicaid prepaid contract upon request of the surviving entity of the merger or acquisition if the contractor and the other entity have been in good standing with the agency for the most recent 12-month period, unless the agency determines that the assignment or transfer would be detrimental to the Medicaid recipients or the Medicaid program. To be in good standing, an entity must not have failed accreditation or committed any material violation of the requirements of s. 641.52 and must meet the Medicaid contract requirements. For purposes of this section, a merger or acquisition means a change in controlling interest of an entity, including an asset or stock purchase.

(18)  Any entity contracting with the agency pursuant to this section to provide health care services to Medicaid recipients is prohibited from engaging in any of the following practices or activities:

(a)  Practices that are discriminatory, including, but not limited to, attempts to discourage participation on the basis of actual or perceived health status.

(b)  Activities that could mislead or confuse recipients, or misrepresent the organization, its marketing representatives, or the agency. Violations of this paragraph include, but are not limited to:

1.  False or misleading claims that marketing representatives are employees or representatives of the state or county, or of anyone other than the entity or the organization by whom they are reimbursed.

2.  False or misleading claims that the entity is recommended or endorsed by any state or county agency, or by any other organization which has not certified its endorsement in writing to the entity.

3.  False or misleading claims that the state or county recommends that a Medicaid recipient enroll with an entity.

4.  Claims that a Medicaid recipient will lose benefits under the Medicaid program, or any other health or welfare benefits to which the recipient is legally entitled, if the recipient does not enroll with the entity.

(c)  Granting or offering of any monetary or other valuable consideration for enrollment, except as authorized by subsection (21).

(d)  Door-to-door solicitation of recipients who have not contacted the entity or who have not invited the entity to make a presentation.

(e)  Solicitation of Medicaid recipients by marketing representatives stationed in state offices unless approved and supervised by the agency or its agent and approved by the affected state agency when solicitation occurs in an office of the state agency. The agency shall ensure that marketing representatives stationed in state offices shall market their managed care plans to Medicaid recipients only in designated areas and in such a way as to not interfere with the recipients' activities in the state office.

(f)  Enrollment of Medicaid recipients.

(19)  The agency may impose a fine for a violation of this section or the contract with the agency by a person or entity that is under contract with the agency. With respect to any nonwillful violation, such fine shall not exceed $2,500 per violation. In no event shall such fine exceed an aggregate amount of $10,000 for all nonwillful violations arising out of the same action. With respect to any knowing and willful violation of this section or the contract with the agency, the agency may impose a fine upon the entity in an amount not to exceed $20,000 for each such violation. In no event shall such fine exceed an aggregate amount of $100,000 for all knowing and willful violations arising out of the same action.

(20)  A health maintenance organization or a person or entity exempt from chapter 641 that is under contract with the agency for the provision of health care services to Medicaid recipients may not use or distribute marketing materials used to solicit Medicaid recipients, unless such materials have been approved by the agency. The provisions of this subsection do not apply to general advertising and marketing materials used by a health maintenance organization to solicit both non-Medicaid subscribers and Medicaid recipients.

(21)  Upon approval by the agency, health maintenance organizations and persons or entities exempt from chapter 641 that are under contract with the agency for the provision of health care services to Medicaid recipients may be permitted within the capitation rate to provide additional health benefits that the agency has found are of high quality, are practicably available, provide reasonable value to the recipient, and are provided at no additional cost to the state.

(22)  The agency shall utilize the statewide health maintenance organization complaint hotline for the purpose of investigating and resolving Medicaid and prepaid health plan complaints, maintaining a record of complaints and confirmed problems, and receiving disenrollment requests made by recipients.

(23)  The agency shall require the publication of the health maintenance organization's and the prepaid health plan's consumer services telephone numbers and the "800" telephone number of the statewide health maintenance organization complaint hotline on each Medicaid identification card issued by a health maintenance organization or prepaid health plan contracting with the agency to serve Medicaid recipients and on each subscriber handbook issued to a Medicaid recipient.

(24)  The agency shall establish a health care quality improvement system for those entities contracting with the agency pursuant to this section, incorporating all the standards and guidelines developed by the Medicaid Bureau of the Health Care Financing Administration as a part of the quality assurance reform initiative. The system shall include, but need not be limited to, the following:

(a)  Guidelines for internal quality assurance programs, including standards for:

1.  Written quality assurance program descriptions.

2.  Responsibilities of the governing body for monitoring, evaluating, and making improvements to care.

3.  An active quality assurance committee.

4.  Quality assurance program supervision.

5.  Requiring the program to have adequate resources to effectively carry out its specified activities.

6.  Provider participation in the quality assurance program.

7.  Delegation of quality assurance program activities.

8.  Credentialing and recredentialing.

9.  Enrollee rights and responsibilities.

10.  Availability and accessibility to services and care.

11.  Ambulatory care facilities.

12.  Accessibility and availability of medical records, as well as proper recordkeeping and process for record review.

13.  Utilization review.

14.  A continuity of care system.

15.  Quality assurance program documentation.

16.  Coordination of quality assurance activity with other management activity.

17.  Delivering care to pregnant women and infants; to elderly and disabled recipients, especially those who are at risk of institutional placement; to persons with developmental disabilities; and to adults who have chronic, high-cost medical conditions.

(b)  Guidelines which require the entities to conduct quality-of-care studies which:

1.  Target specific conditions and specific health service delivery issues for focused monitoring and evaluation.

2.  Use clinical care standards or practice guidelines to objectively evaluate the care the entity delivers or fails to deliver for the targeted clinical conditions and health services delivery issues.

3.  Use quality indicators derived from the clinical care standards or practice guidelines to screen and monitor care and services delivered.

(c)  Guidelines for external quality review of each contractor which require: focused studies of patterns of care; individual care review in specific situations; and followup activities on previous pattern-of-care study findings and individual-care-review findings. In designing the external quality review function and determining how it is to operate as part of the state's overall quality improvement system, the agency shall construct its external quality review organization and entity contracts to address each of the following:

1.  Delineating the role of the external quality review organization.

2.  Length of the external quality review organization contract with the state.

3.  Participation of the contracting entities in designing external quality review organization review activities.

4.  Potential variation in the type of clinical conditions and health services delivery issues to be studied at each plan.

5.  Determining the number of focused pattern-of-care studies to be conducted for each plan.

6.  Methods for implementing focused studies.

7.  Individual care review.

8.  Followup activities.

(25)  In order to ensure that children receive health care services for which an entity has already been compensated, an entity contracting with the agency pursuant to this section shall achieve an annual Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) Service screening rate of at least 60 percent for those recipients continuously enrolled for at least 8 months. The agency shall develop a method by which the EPSDT screening rate shall be calculated. For any entity which does not achieve the annual 60 percent rate, the entity must submit a corrective action plan for the agency's approval. If the entity does not meet the standard established in the corrective action plan during the specified timeframe, the agency is authorized to impose appropriate contract sanctions. At least annually, the agency shall publicly release the EPSDT Services screening rates of each entity it has contracted with on a prepaid basis to serve Medicaid recipients.

(26)  The agency shall perform choice counseling, enrollments, and disenrollments for Medicaid recipients who are eligible for MediPass or managed care plans. Notwithstanding the prohibition contained in paragraph (18)(f), managed care plans may perform preenrollments of Medicaid recipients under the supervision of the agency or its agents. For the purposes of this section, "preenrollment" means the provision of marketing and educational materials to a Medicaid recipient and assistance in completing the application forms, but shall not include actual enrollment into a managed care plan. An application for enrollment shall not be deemed complete until the agency or its agent verifies that the recipient made an informed, voluntary choice. The agency, in cooperation with the Department of Children and Family Services, may test new marketing initiatives to inform Medicaid recipients about their managed care options at selected sites. The agency shall report to the Legislature on the effectiveness of such initiatives. The agency may contract with a third party to perform managed care plan and MediPass choice-counseling, enrollment, and disenrollment services for Medicaid recipients and is authorized to adopt rules to implement such services. The agency may adjust the capitation rate only to cover the costs of a third-party choice-counseling, enrollment, and disenrollment contract, and for agency supervision and management of the managed care plan choice-counseling, enrollment, and disenrollment contract.

(27)  Any lists of providers made available to Medicaid recipients, MediPass enrollees, or managed care plan enrollees shall be arranged alphabetically showing the provider's name and specialty and, separately, by specialty in alphabetical order.

(28)  The agency shall establish an enhanced managed care quality assurance oversight function, to include at least the following components:

(a)  At least quarterly analysis and followup, including sanctions as appropriate, of managed care participant utilization of services.

(b)  At least quarterly analysis and followup, including sanctions as appropriate, of quality findings of the Medicaid peer review organization and other external quality assurance programs.

(c)  At least quarterly analysis and followup, including sanctions as appropriate, of the fiscal viability of managed care plans.

(d)  At least quarterly analysis and followup, including sanctions as appropriate, of managed care participant satisfaction and disenrollment surveys.

(e)  The agency shall conduct regular and ongoing Medicaid recipient satisfaction surveys.

The analyses and followup activities conducted by the agency under its enhanced managed care quality assurance oversight function shall not duplicate the activities of accreditation reviewers for entities regulated under part III of chapter 641, but may include a review of the finding of such reviewers.

(29)  Each managed care plan that is under contract with the agency to provide health care services to Medicaid recipients shall annually conduct a background check with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement of all persons with ownership interest of 5 percent or more or executive management responsibility for the managed care plan and shall submit to the agency information concerning any such person who has been found guilty of, regardless of adjudication, or has entered a plea of nolo contendere or guilty to, any of the offenses listed in s. 435.03.

(30)  The agency shall, by rule, develop a process whereby a Medicaid managed care plan enrollee who wishes to enter hospice care may be disenrolled from the managed care plan within 24 hours after contacting the agency regarding such request. The agency rule shall include a methodology for the agency to recoup managed care plan payments on a pro rata basis if payment has been made for the enrollment month when disenrollment occurs.

(31)  The agency and entities which contract with the agency to provide health care services to Medicaid recipients under this section or s. 409.9122 must comply with the provisions of s. 641.513 in providing emergency services and care to Medicaid recipients and MediPass recipients.

(32)  All entities providing health care services to Medicaid recipients shall make available, and encourage all pregnant women and mothers with infants to receive, and provide documentation in the medical records to reflect, the following:

(a)  Healthy Start prenatal or infant screening.

(b)  Healthy Start care coordination, when screening or other factors indicate need.

(c)  Healthy Start enhanced services in accordance with the prenatal or infant screening results.

(d)  Immunizations in accordance with recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the United States Public Health Service and the American Academy of Pediatrics, as appropriate.

(e)  Counseling and services for family planning to all women and their partners.

(f)  A scheduled postpartum visit for the purpose of voluntary family planning, to include discussion of all methods of contraception, as appropriate.

(g)  Referral to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

(33)  Any entity that provides Medicaid prepaid health plan services shall ensure the appropriate coordination of health care services with an assisted living facility in cases where a Medicaid recipient is both a member of the entity's prepaid health plan and a resident of the assisted living facility. If the entity is at risk for Medicaid targeted case management and behavioral health services, the entity shall inform the assisted living facility of the procedures to follow should an emergent condition arise.

(34)  The agency may seek and implement federal waivers necessary to provide for cost-effective purchasing of home health services, private duty nursing services, transportation, independent laboratory services, and durable medical equipment and supplies through competitive bidding pursuant to s. 287.057. The agency may request appropriate waivers from the federal Health Care Financing Administration in order to competitively bid such services. The agency may exclude providers not selected through the bidding process from the Medicaid provider network.

(35)  The Agency for Health Care Administration is directed to issue a request for proposal or intent to negotiate to implement on a demonstration basis an outpatient specialty services pilot project in a rural and urban county in the state. As used in this subsection, the term "outpatient specialty services" means clinical laboratory, diagnostic imaging, and specified home medical services to include durable medical equipment, prosthetics and orthotics, and infusion therapy.

(a)  The entity that is awarded the contract to provide Medicaid managed care outpatient specialty services must, at a minimum, meet the following criteria:

1.  The entity must be licensed by the Department of Insurance under part II of chapter 641.

2.  The entity must be experienced in providing outpatient specialty services.

3.  The entity must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the agency that it provides high-quality services to its patients.

4.  The entity must demonstrate that it has in place a complaints and grievance process to assist Medicaid recipients enrolled in the pilot managed care program to resolve complaints and grievances.

(b)  The pilot managed care program shall operate for a period of 3 years. The objective of the pilot program shall be to determine the cost-effectiveness and effects on utilization, access, and quality of providing outpatient specialty services to Medicaid recipients on a prepaid, capitated basis.

(c)  The agency shall conduct a quality assurance review of the prepaid health clinic each year that the demonstration program is in effect. The prepaid health clinic is responsible for all expenses incurred by the agency in conducting a quality assurance review.

(d)  The entity that is awarded the contract to provide outpatient specialty services to Medicaid recipients shall report data required by the agency in a format specified by the agency, for the purpose of conducting the evaluation required in paragraph (e).

(e)  The agency shall conduct an evaluation of the pilot managed care program and report its findings to the Governor and the Legislature by no later than January 1, 2001.

(36)  The agency shall enter into agreements with not-for-profit organizations based in this state for the purpose of providing vision screening.

(37)(a)  The agency shall implement a Medicaid prescribed-drug spending-control program that includes the following components:

1.  Medicaid prescribed-drug coverage for brand-name drugs for adult Medicaid recipients is limited to the dispensing of four brand-name drugs per month per recipient. Children are exempt from this restriction. Antiretroviral agents are excluded from this limitation. No requirements for prior authorization or other restrictions on medications used to treat mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, severe depression, or bipolar disorder may be imposed on Medicaid recipients. Medications that will be available without restriction for persons with mental illnesses include atypical antipsychotic medications, conventional antipsychotic medications, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and other medications used for the treatment of serious mental illnesses. The agency shall also limit the amount of a prescribed drug dispensed to no more than a 34-day supply. The agency shall continue to provide unlimited generic drugs, contraceptive drugs and items, and diabetic supplies. Although a drug may be included on the preferred drug formulary, it would not be exempt from the four-brand limit. The agency may authorize exceptions to the brand-name-drug restriction based upon the treatment needs of the patients, only when such exceptions are based on prior consultation provided by the agency or an agency contractor, but the agency must establish procedures to ensure that:

a.  There will be a response to a request for prior consultation by telephone or other telecommunication device within 24 hours after receipt of a request for prior consultation;

b.  A 72-hour supply of the drug prescribed will be provided in an emergency or when the agency does not provide a response within 24 hours as required by sub-subparagraph a.; and

c.  Except for the exception for nursing home residents and other institutionalized adults and except for drugs on the restricted formulary for which prior authorization may be sought by an institutional or community pharmacy, prior authorization for an exception to the brand-name-drug restriction is sought by the prescriber and not by the pharmacy. When prior authorization is granted for a patient in an institutional setting beyond the brand-name-drug restriction, such approval is authorized for 12 months and monthly prior authorization is not required for that patient.

2.  Reimbursement to pharmacies for Medicaid prescribed drugs shall be set at the average wholesale price less 13.25 percent.

3.  The agency shall develop and implement a process for managing the drug therapies of Medicaid recipients who are using significant numbers of prescribed drugs each month. The management process may include, but is not limited to, comprehensive, physician-directed medical-record reviews, claims analyses, and case evaluations to determine the medical necessity and appropriateness of a patient's treatment plan and drug therapies. The agency may contract with a private organization to provide drug-program-management services. The Medicaid drug benefit management program shall include initiatives to manage drug therapies for HIV/AIDS patients, patients using 20 or more unique prescriptions in a 180-day period, and the top 1,000 patients in annual spending.

4.  The agency may limit the size of its pharmacy network based on need, competitive bidding, price negotiations, credentialing, or similar criteria. The agency shall give special consideration to rural areas in determining the size and location of pharmacies included in the Medicaid pharmacy network. A pharmacy credentialing process may include criteria such as a pharmacy's full-service status, location, size, patient educational programs, patient consultation, disease-management services, and other characteristics. The agency may impose a moratorium on Medicaid pharmacy enrollment when it is determined that it has a sufficient number of Medicaid-participating providers.

5.  The agency shall develop and implement a program that requires Medicaid practitioners who prescribe drugs to use a counterfeit-proof prescription pad for Medicaid prescriptions. The agency shall require the use of standardized counterfeit-proof prescription pads by Medicaid-participating prescribers or prescribers who write prescriptions for Medicaid recipients. The agency may implement the program in targeted geographic areas or statewide.

6.  The agency may enter into arrangements that require manufacturers of generic drugs prescribed to Medicaid recipients to provide rebates of at least 15.1 percent of the average manufacturer price for the manufacturer's generic products. These arrangements shall require that if a generic-drug manufacturer pays federal rebates for Medicaid-reimbursed drugs at a level below 15.1 percent, the manufacturer must provide a supplemental rebate to the state in an amount necessary to achieve a 15.1-percent rebate level.

7.  The agency may establish a preferred drug formulary in accordance with 42 U.S.C. s. 1396r-8, and, pursuant to the establishment of such formulary, it is authorized to negotiate supplemental rebates from manufacturers that are in addition to those required by Title XIX of the Social Security Act and at no less than 10 percent of the average manufacturer price as defined in 42 U.S.C. s. 1936 on the last day of a quarter unless the federal or supplemental rebate, or both, equals or exceeds 25 percent. There is no upper limit on the supplemental rebates the agency may negotiate. The agency may determine that specific products, brand-name or generic, are competitive at lower rebate percentages. Agreement to pay the minimum supplemental rebate percentage will guarantee a manufacturer that the Medicaid Pharmaceutical and Therapeutics Committee will consider a product for inclusion on the preferred drug formulary. However, a pharmaceutical manufacturer is not guaranteed placement on the formulary by simply paying the minimum supplemental rebate. Agency decisions will be made on the clinical efficacy of a drug and recommendations of the Medicaid Pharmaceutical and Therapeutics Committee, as well as the price of competing products minus federal and state rebates. The agency is authorized to contract with an outside agency or contractor to conduct negotiations for supplemental rebates. For the purposes of this section, the term "supplemental rebates" may include, at the agency's discretion, cash rebates and other program benefits that offset a Medicaid expenditure. Such other program benefits may include, but are not limited to, disease management programs, drug product donation programs, drug utilization control programs, prescriber and beneficiary counseling and education, fraud and abuse initiatives, and other services or administrative investments with guaranteed savings to the Medicaid program in the same year the rebate reduction is included in the General Appropriations Act. The agency is authorized to seek any federal waivers to implement this initiative.

8.  The agency shall establish an advisory committee for the purposes of studying the feasibility of using a restricted drug formulary for nursing home residents and other institutionalized adults. The committee shall be comprised of seven members appointed by the Secretary of Health Care Administration. The committee members shall include two physicians licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459; three pharmacists licensed under chapter 465 and appointed from a list of recommendations provided by the Florida Long-Term Care Pharmacy Alliance; and two pharmacists licensed under chapter 465.

(b)  The agency shall implement this subsection to the extent that funds are appropriated to administer the Medicaid prescribed-drug spending-control program. The agency may contract all or any part of this program to private organizations.

(c)  The agency shall submit a report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by January 15 of each year. The report must include, but need not be limited to, the progress made in implementing Medicaid cost-containment measures and their effect on Medicaid prescribed-drug expenditures.

(38)  Notwithstanding the provisions of chapter 287, the agency may, at its discretion, renew a contract or contracts for fiscal intermediary services one or more times for such periods as the agency may decide; however, all such renewals may not combine to exceed a total period longer than the term of the original contract.

(39)  The agency shall provide for the development of a demonstration project by establishment in Miami-Dade County of a long-term-care facility licensed pursuant to chapter 395 to improve access to health care for a predominantly minority, medically underserved, and medically complex population and to evaluate alternatives to nursing home care and general acute care for such population. Such project is to be located in a health care condominium and colocated with licensed facilities providing a continuum of care. The establishment of this project is not subject to the provisions of s. 408.036 or s. 408.039. The agency shall report its findings to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by January 1, 2003.