Florida SB 68: Health Facilities

Bill Text

68 
Health Care Patient Protection 
2026-02-06T12:20:35Z 
Requiring hospitals with emergency departments to develop and implement policies and procedures and conduct training; authorizing a hospital with an emergency department to conduct the National Pediatric Readiness Project’s Open Assessment under certain circumstances; requiring the Agency for Health Care Administration to adopt certain rules for comprehensive emergency management plans, etc. 
Committee Substitute 1 
2026 
S 
2026-07-01T00:00:00Z 
GB 
General Bill 
c1 

 Florida Senate - 2026 CS for SB 68 

 By the Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services; 
 and Senator Harrell 

 603-02506-26 202668c1 
 1 A bill to be entitled 
 2 An act relating to health care patient protection; 
 3 amending s. 395.1012, F.S.; requiring hospitals with 
 4 emergency departments to develop and implement 
 5 policies and procedures and conduct training; 
 6 requiring hospital emergency departments to designate 
 7 a pediatric emergency care coordinator and conduct 
 8 specified assessments; authorizing a hospital with an 
 9 emergency department to conduct the National Pediatric 
 10 Readiness Project’s Open Assessment under certain 
 11 circumstances; amending s. 395.1055, F.S.; requiring 
 12 the Agency for Health Care Administration to adopt 
 13 certain rules for comprehensive emergency management 
 14 plans; requiring the agency, in consultation with the 
 15 Florida Emergency Medical Services for Children State 
 16 Partnership Program, to adopt rules that establish 
 17 minimum standards for pediatric patient care in 
 18 hospital emergency departments; amending s. 408.05, 
 19 F.S.; requiring the agency to collect and publish the 
 20 results of specified assessments submitted by 
 21 hospitals by specified dates; providing requirements 
 22 for the collection and publication of the hospitals’ 
 23 assessment scores; providing an effective date. 
 24 
 25 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
 26 
 27 Section 1. Subsections (6) and (7) are added to section 
 28 395.1012, Florida Statutes, to read: 
 29 395.1012 Patient safety.— 
 30 (6)(a) Each hospital with an emergency department shall: 
 31 1. Develop and implement policies and procedures for 
 32 pediatric patient care in the emergency department which reflect 
 33 evidence-based best practices relating to, at a minimum, all of 
 34 the following: 
 35 a. Triage. 
 36 b. Measuring and recording vital signs. 
 37 c. Weighing and recording weights in kilograms. 
 38 d. Calculating medication dosages. 
 39 e. Use of pediatric instruments. 
 40 2. Conduct training at least annually on the policies and 
 41 procedures developed under this subsection. The training must 
 42 include, at a minimum: 
 43 a. The use of pediatric instruments, as applicable to each 
 44 licensure type, using clinical simulation as defined in s. 
 45 464.003. 
 46 b. Drills that simulate emergency situations. Each 
 47 emergency department must conduct drills at least annually. 
 48 (b) Each hospital emergency department shall: 
 49 1. Designate a pediatric emergency care coordinator. The 
 50 pediatric emergency care coordinator must be a physician or a 
 51 physician assistant licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459, a 
 52 nurse licensed under chapter 464, or a paramedic licensed under 
 53 chapter 401. The pediatric emergency care coordinator is 
 54 responsible for implementation of and ensuring adherence to the 
 55 policies and procedures adopted under this subsection. 
 56 2. Conduct the National Pediatric Readiness Assessment 
 57 developed by the National Pediatric Readiness Project, in 
 58 accordance with timelines established by the National Pediatric 
 59 Readiness Project. 
 60 (7) Each hospital with an emergency department may conduct 
 61 the National Pediatric Readiness Project’s Open Assessment 
 62 during a year in which the National Pediatric Readiness 
 63 Assessment is not conducted. 
 64 Section 2. Present subsections (4) through (19) of section 
 65 395.1055, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as subsections (5) 
 66 through (20), respectively, a new subsection (4) is added to 
 67 that section, and paragraph (c) of subsection (1) of that 
 68 section is amended, to read: 
 69 395.1055 Rules and enforcement.— 
 70 (1) The agency shall adopt rules pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) 
 71 and 120.54 to implement the provisions of this part, which shall 
 72 include reasonable and fair minimum standards for ensuring that: 
 73 (c) A comprehensive emergency management plan is prepared 
 74 and updated annually. Such standards must be included in the 
 75 rules adopted by the agency after consulting with the Division 
 76 of Emergency Management. At a minimum, the rules must provide 
 77 for plan components that address emergency evacuation 
 78 transportation; adequate sheltering arrangements; postdisaster 
 79 activities, including emergency power, food, and water; 
 80 postdisaster tran