The agency shall purchase goods and services for Medicaid recipients in the most cost-effective manner consistent with the delivery of quality medical care. To ensure that medical services are effectively utilized, the agency may, in any case, require a confirmation or second physician’s opinion of the correct diagnosis for purposes of authorizing future services under the Medicaid program. This section does not restrict access to emergency services or poststabilization care services as defined in 42 C.F.R. part 438.114. Such confirmation or second opinion shall be rendered in a manner approved by the agency. 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 shall contract with a vendor to monitor and evaluate the clinical practice patterns of providers in order to identify trends that are outside the normal practice patterns of a provider’s professional peers or the national guidelines of a provider’s professional association. The vendor must be able to provide information and counseling to a provider whose practice patterns are outside the norms, in consultation with the agency, to improve patient care and reduce inappropriate utilization. The agency may mandate prior authorization, drug therapy management, or disease management participation 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. The agency is authorized to limit the entities it contracts with or enrolls as Medicaid providers by developing a provider network through provider credentialing. The agency may competitively bid single-source-provider contracts if procurement of goods or services results in demonstrated cost savings to the state without limiting access to care. The agency may limit its network based on the assessment of beneficiary access to care, provider availability, provider quality standards, time and distance standards for access to care, the cultural competence of the provider network, demographic characteristics of Medicaid beneficiaries, practice and provider-to-beneficiary standards, appointment wait times, beneficiary use of services, provider turnover, provider profiling, provider licensure history, previous program integrity investigations and findings, peer review, provider Medicaid policy and billing compliance records, clinical and medical record audits, and other factors. Providers are not entitled to enrollment in the Medicaid provider network. The agency shall determine instances in which allowing Medicaid beneficiaries to purchase durable medical equipment and other goods is less expensive to the Medicaid program than long-term rental of the equipment or goods. The agency may establish rules to facilitate purchases in lieu of long-term rentals in order to protect against fraud and abuse in the Medicaid program as defined in s. 409.913. The agency may seek federal waivers necessary to administer these policies.

   (1) The agency shall work with the Department of Children and Family Services to ensure access of children and families in the child protection system to needed and appropriate mental health and substance abuse services. This subsection expires October 1, 2014.

   (2) 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. This subsection expires October 1, 2016.

   (3) The agency may contract with health maintenance organizations certified pursuant to part I of chapter 641 for the provision of services to recipients. This subsection expires October 1, 2014.

   (4) 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 of chapter 641. An entity recognized under this paragraph which demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Office of Insurance Regulation of the Financial Services Commission 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. This paragraph expires October 1, 2014.

   (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 entity must be licensed under chapter 624, chapter 636, or chapter 641, or authorized under paragraph (c) or paragraph (d), 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 before 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. Except as provided in subparagraph 5., and except in counties where the Medicaid managed care pilot program is authorized pursuant to s. 409.91211, the agency shall seek federal approval to contract with a single entity meeting these requirements to provide comprehensive behavioral health care services to all Medicaid recipients not enrolled in a Medicaid managed care plan authorized under s. 409.91211, a provider service network authorized under paragraph (d), or a Medicaid health maintenance organization in an AHCA area. In an AHCA area where the Medicaid managed care pilot program is authorized pursuant to s. 409.91211 in one or more counties, the agency may procure a contract with a single entity to serve the remaining counties as an AHCA area or the remaining counties may be included with an adjacent AHCA area and are subject to this paragraph. Each entity must offer a sufficient choice of providers in its network to ensure recipient access to care and the opportunity to select a provider with whom they are satisfied. The network shall include all public mental health hospitals. To ensure unimpaired access to behavioral health care services by Medicaid recipients, all contracts issued pursuant to this paragraph must require 80 percent of the capitation paid to the managed care plan, including health maintenance organizations and capitated provider service networks, to be expended for the provision of behavioral health care services. If the managed care plan expends less than 80 percent of the capitation paid for the provision of behavioral health care services, the difference shall be returned to the agency. The agency shall provide the plan with a certification letter indicating the amount of capitation paid during each calendar year for behavioral health care services pursuant to this section. 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. 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. Except as provided in subparagraph 5., the agency and the Department of Children and Family Services shall contract with managed care entities in each AHCA area except area 6 or arrange to provide comprehensive inpatient and outpatient mental health and substance abuse services through capitated prepaid arrangements to all Medicaid recipients who are eligible to participate in such plans under federal law and regulation. In AHCA areas where eligible individuals number less than 150,000, the agency shall contract with a single managed care plan to provide comprehensive behavioral health services to all recipients who are not enrolled in a Medicaid health maintenance organization, a provider service network authorized under paragraph (d), or a Medicaid capitated managed care plan authorized under s. 409.91211. The agency may contract with more than one comprehensive behavioral health provider to provide care to recipients who are not enrolled in a Medicaid capitated managed care plan authorized under s. 409.91211, a provider service network authorized under paragraph (d), or a Medicaid health maintenance organization in AHCA areas where the eligible population exceeds 150,000. In an AHCA area where the Medicaid managed care pilot program is authorized pursuant to s. 409.91211 in one or more counties, the agency may procure a contract with a single entity to serve the remaining counties as an AHCA area or the remaining counties may be included with an adjacent AHCA area and shall be subject to this paragraph. Contracts for comprehensive behavioral health providers awarded pursuant to this section shall be competitively procured. Both for-profit and not-for-profit corporations are eligible to compete. Managed care plans contracting with the agency under subsection (3) or paragraph (d) shall provide and receive payment for the same comprehensive behavioral health benefits as provided in AHCA rules, including handbooks incorporated by reference. In AHCA area 11, the agency shall contract with at least two comprehensive behavioral health care providers to provide behavioral health care to recipients in that area who are enrolled in, or assigned to, the MediPass program. One of the behavioral health care contracts must be with the existing provider service network pilot project, as described in paragraph (d), for the purpose of demonstrating the cost-effectiveness of the provision of quality mental health services through a public hospital-operated managed care model. Payment shall be at an agreed-upon capitated rate to ensure cost savings. Of the recipients in area 11 who are assigned to MediPass under s. 409.9122(2)(k), a minimum of 50,000 of those MediPass-enrolled recipients shall be assigned to the existing provider service network in area 11 for their behavioral care.

   3. Children residing in a statewide inpatient psychiatric program, or in a Department of Juvenile Justice or a Department of Children and Family Services residential program approved as a Medicaid behavioral health overlay services provider may not be included in a behavioral health care prepaid health plan or any other Medicaid managed care plan pursuant to this paragraph.

   4. Traditional community mental health providers under contract with the Department of Children and Family Services pursuant to part IV of chapter 394, child welfare providers under contract with the Department of Children and Family Services in areas 1 and 6, 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.

   5. All Medicaid-eligible children, except children in area 1 and children in Highlands County, Hardee County, Polk County, or Manatee County of area 6, that are open for child welfare services in the statewide automated child welfare information system, shall receive their behavioral health care services through a specialty prepaid plan operated by community-based lead agencies through a single agency or formal agreements among several agencies. The agency shall work with the specialty plan to develop clinically effective, evidence-based alternatives as a downward substitution for the statewide inpatient psychiatric program and similar residential care and institutional services. The specialty prepaid plan must result in savings to the state comparable to savings achieved in other Medicaid managed care and prepaid programs. Such plan must provide mechanisms to maximize state and local revenues. The specialty prepaid plan shall be developed by the agency and the Department of Children and Family Services. The agency may seek federal waivers to implement this initiative. Medicaid-eligible children whose cases are open for child welfare services in the statewide automated child welfare information system and who reside in AHCA area 10 shall be enrolled in a capitated provider service network or other capitated managed care plan, which, in coordination with available community-based care providers specified in s. 409.1671, shall provide sufficient medical, developmental, and behavioral health services to meet the needs of these children.

This paragraph expires October 1, 2014.

   (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. A federally qualified health center or an entity that is owned by one or more federally qualified health centers and is reimbursed by the agency on a prepaid basis is exempt from parts I and III of chapter 641, but must comply with the solvency requirements in s. 641.2261(2) and meet the appropriate requirements governing financial reserve, quality assurance, and patients’ rights established by the agency. This paragraph expires October 1, 2014.

   (d)1. A provider service network, which may be reimbursed on a fee-for-service or prepaid basis. Prepaid provider service networks shall receive per-member, per-month payments. A provider service network that does not choose to be a prepaid plan shall receive fee-for-service rates with a shared savings settlement. The fee-for-service option shall be available to a provider service network only for the first 2 years of the plan’s operation or until the contract year beginning September 1, 2014, whichever is later. The agency shall annually conduct cost reconciliations to determine the amount of cost savings achieved by fee-for-service provider service networks for the dates of service in the period being reconciled. Only payments for covered services for dates of service within the reconciliation period and paid within 6 months after the last date of service in the reconciliation period shall be included. The agency shall perform the necessary adjustments for the inclusion of claims incurred but not reported within the reconciliation for claims that could be received and paid by the agency after the 6-month claims processing time lag. The agency shall provide the results of the reconciliations to the fee-for-service provider service networks within 45 days after the end of the reconciliation period. The fee-for-service provider service networks shall review and provide written comments or a letter of concurrence to the agency within 45 days after receipt of the reconciliation results. This reconciliation shall be considered final.

   2. 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 comply with the solvency requirements in s. 641.2261(2) and meet appropriate financial reserve, quality assurance, and patient rights requirements as established by the agency.

   3. Medicaid recipients assigned to a provider service network 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. This subparagraph expires October 1, 2014.

   4. A provider service network is a network established or organized and operated by a health care provider, or group of affiliated health care providers, including minority physician networks and emergency room diversion programs that meet the requirements of s. 409.91211, which provides a substantial proportion of the health care items and services under a contract directly through the provider or affiliated group of providers and may make arrangements with physicians or other health care professionals, health care institutions, or any combination of such individuals or institutions to assume all or part of the financial risk on a prospective basis for the provision of basic health services by the physicians, by other health professionals, or through the institutions. The health care providers must have a controlling interest in the governing body of the provider service network organization.

   (e) An entity that provides only 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. This paragraph expires October 1, 2014.

   (f) An entity authorized in s. 430.205 to contract with the agency and the Department of Elderly Affairs to provide health care and social services on a prepaid or fixed-sum basis to elderly recipients. Such prepaid health care services entities are exempt from the provisions of part I of chapter 641 for the first 3 years of operation. An entity recognized under this paragraph that demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Office of Insurance Regulation that it is backed by the full faith and credit of one or more counties in which it operates may be exempted from s. 641.225. This paragraph expires October 1, 2013.

   (g) A Children’s Medical Services Network, as defined in s. 391.021. This paragraph expires October 1, 2014.

   (5) 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.

This subsection expires October 1, 2014.

   (6) 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 Office of Insurance Regulation.

This subsection expires October 1, 2014.

   (7) 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. This subsection expires October 1, 2014.

   (8) 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. This subsection expires October 1, 2014.

   (9) 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.

This subsection expires October 1, 2014.

   (10) 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. 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. This subsection expires October 1, 2016.

   (11) 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. This subsection expires October 1, 2014.

   (12) 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. This subsection expires October 1, 2014.

   (13) The agency shall operate or contract for the operation of utilization management and incentive systems designed to encourage cost-effective use of services and to eliminate services that are medically unnecessary. The agency shall track Medicaid provider prescription and billing patterns and evaluate them against Medicaid medical necessity criteria and coverage and limitation guidelines adopted by rule. Medical necessity determination requires that service be consistent with symptoms or confirmed diagnosis of illness or injury under treatment and not in excess of the patient’s needs. The agency shall conduct reviews of provider exceptions to peer group norms and shall, using statistical methodologies, provider profiling, and analysis of billing patterns, detect and investigate abnormal or unusual increases in billing or payment of claims for Medicaid services and medically unnecessary provision of services. Providers that demonstrate a pattern of submitting claims for medically unnecessary services shall be referred to the Medicaid program integrity unit for investigation. In its annual report, required in s. 409.913, the agency shall report on its efforts to control overutilization as described in this subsection. This subsection expires October 1, 2014.

   (14)(a) The agency shall operate the Comprehensive Assessment and Review for Long-Term Care Services (CARES) nursing facility preadmission screening program to ensure that Medicaid payment for nursing facility care is made only for individuals whose conditions require such care and to ensure that long-term care services are provided in the setting most appropriate to the needs of the person and in the most economical manner possible. The CARES program shall also ensure that individuals participating in Medicaid home and community-based waiver programs meet criteria for those programs, consistent with approved federal waivers.

   (b) The agency shall operate the CARES program through an interagency agreement with the Department of Elderly Affairs. The agency, in consultation with the Department of Elderly Affairs, may contract for any function or activity of the CARES program, including any function or activity required by 42 C.F.R. part 483.20, relating to preadmission screening and resident review.

   (c) Prior to making payment for nursing facility services for a Medicaid recipient, the agency must verify that the nursing facility preadmission screening program has determined that the individual requires nursing facility care and that the individual cannot be safely served in community-based programs. The nursing facility preadmission screening program shall refer a Medicaid recipient to a community-based program if the individual could be safely served at a lower cost and the recipient chooses to participate in such program. For individuals whose nursing home stay is initially funded by Medicare and Medicare coverage is being terminated for lack of progress towards rehabilitation, CARES staff shall consult with the person making the determination of progress toward rehabilitation to ensure that the recipient is not being inappropriately disqualified from Medicare coverage. If, in their professional judgment, CARES staff believes that a Medicare beneficiary is still making progress toward rehabilitation, they may assist the Medicare beneficiary with an appeal of the disqualification from Medicare coverage. The use of CARES teams to review Medicare denials for coverage under this section is authorized only if it is determined that such reviews qualify for federal matching funds through Medicaid. The agency shall seek or amend federal waivers as necessary to implement this section.

   (d) For the purpose of initiating immediate prescreening and diversion assistance for individuals residing in nursing homes and in order to make families aware of alternative long-term care resources so that they may choose a more cost-effective setting for long-term placement, CARES staff shall conduct an assessment and review of a sample of individuals whose nursing home stay is expected to exceed 20 days, regardless of the initial funding source for the nursing home placement. CARES staff shall provide counseling and referral services to these individuals regarding choosing appropriate long-term care alternatives. This paragraph does not apply to continuing care facilities licensed under chapter 651 or to retirement communities that provide a combination of nursing home, independent living, and other long-term care services.

   (e) By January 15 of each year, the agency shall submit a report to the Legislature describing the operations of the CARES program. The report must describe:

   1. Rate of diversion to community alternative programs;

   2. CARES program staffing needs to achieve additional diversions;

   3. Reasons the program is unable to place individuals in less restrictive settings when such individuals desired such services and could have been served in such settings;

   4. Barriers to appropriate placement, including barriers due to policies or operations of other agencies or state-funded programs; and

   5. Statutory changes necessary to ensure that individuals in need of long-term care services receive care in the least restrictive environment.

   (f) The Department of Elderly Affairs shall track individuals over time who are assessed under the CARES program and who are diverted from nursing home placement. By January 15 of each year, the department shall submit to the Legislature a longitudinal study of the individuals who are diverted from nursing home placement. The study must include:

   1. The demographic characteristics of the individuals assessed and diverted from nursing home placement, including, but not limited to, age, race, gender, frailty, caregiver status, living arrangements, and geographic location;

   2. A summary of community services provided to individuals for 1 year after assessment and diversion;

   3. A summary of inpatient hospital admissions for individuals who have been diverted; and

   4. A summary of the length of time between diversion and subsequent entry into a nursing home or death.

This subsection expires October 1, 2013.

   (15)(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 includes 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 the Department of Health and 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 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 or may be terminated from all participation in the Medicaid program.

   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 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 contract with an entity in the state to provide Medicaid providers with electronic access to Medicaid prescription refill data and information relating to the Medicaid preferred drug list. The initiative shall be designed to enhance the agency’s efforts to reduce fraud, abuse, and errors in the prescription drug benefit program and to otherwise further the intent of this paragraph.

   5. The agency shall contract with an entity to design a database of clinical utilization information or electronic medical records for Medicaid providers. The database must be web-based and allow providers to review on a real-time basis the utilization of Medicaid services, including, but not limited to, physician office visits, inpatient and outpatient hospitalizations, laboratory and pathology services, radiological and other imaging services, dental care, and patterns of dispensing prescription drugs in order to coordinate care and identify potential fraud and abuse.

   6. The agency may apply for any federal waivers needed to administer this paragraph.

This subsection expires October 1, 2014.

   (16) An entity contracting on a prepaid or fixed-sum basis shall meet the surplus requirements of s. 641.225. If an entity’s surplus falls below an amount equal to the surplus requirements of s. 641.225, the agency shall prohibit the entity from engaging in marketing and preenrollment activities, shall cease to process new enrollments, and may 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.

This subsection expires October 1, 2014.

   (17)(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.

   (18) 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.

This subsection expires October 1, 2014.

   (19) When a merger or acquisition of a Medicaid prepaid contractor has been approved by the Office of Insurance Regulation 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. This subsection expires October 1, 2014.

   (20) 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 (23).

   (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.

   (21) 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. This subsection expires October 1, 2014.

   (22) 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. This subsection expires October 1, 2014.

   (23) 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. This subsection expires October 1, 2014.

   (24) 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. This subsection expires October 1, 2014.

   (25) 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. This subsection expires October 1, 2014.

   (26) 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.s. 43, ch. 91-282; s. 3, ch. 94-299; s. 5, ch. 94-317; s