Florida Reimbursement Assistance for Medical Education Program.

(1) To support the state Medicaid program and to encourage qualified medical professionals to practice in underserved locations where there are shortages of such personnel, there is established the Florida Reimbursement Assistance for Medical Education Program. The function of the program is to make payments that offset loans and educational expenses incurred by students for studies leading to a medical or nursing degree, medical or nursing licensure, or advanced practice registered nurse licensure or physician assistant licensure.

(2) The following licensed or certified health care practitioners are eligible to participate in the program:

(a) Medical doctors with primary care specialties.

(b) Doctors of osteopathic medicine with primary care specialties.

(c) Advanced practice registered nurses registered to engage in autonomous practice under s. 464.0123.

(d) Advanced practice registered nurses.

(e) Physician assistants.

(f) Mental health professionals, including licensed clinical social workers, licensed marriage and family therapists, licensed mental health counselors, and licensed psychologists.

(g) Licensed practical nurses and registered nurses.

Primary care medical specialties for physicians include obstetrics, gynecology, general and family practice, geriatrics, internal medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, and other specialties which may be identified by the Department of Health.

(3) From the funds available, the Department of Health shall make payments as follows:

(a) For a 4-year period of continued proof of practice in an area specified in paragraph (b), up to $150,000 for physicians, up to $90,000 for advanced practice registered nurses registered to engage in autonomous practice under s. 464.0123 and practicing autonomously, up to $75,000 for advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants, up to $75,000 for mental health professionals, and up to $45,000 for licensed practical nurses and registered nurses. Each practitioner is eligible to receive an award for only one 4-year period of continued proof of practice; however, the 4 years of practice are not required to be consecutive. At the end of each year that a practitioner participates in the program, the department shall award 25 percent of a practitioner’s principal loan amount at the time he or she applied for the program. Penalties for noncompliance are the same as those in the National Health Services Corps Loan Repayment Program. Educational expenses include costs for tuition, matriculation, registration, books, laboratory and other fees, other educational costs, and reasonable living expenses as determined by the Department of Health.

(b) All payments are contingent on continued proof of:

1.a. Primary care practice in a rural hospital as defined in s. 395.602(2)(b) or an underserved area designated by the Department of Health, provided the practitioner accepts Medicaid reimbursement if eligible for such reimbursement; or

b. For practitioners other than physicians, practice in other settings, including, but not limited to, a nursing home facility as defined in s. 400.021, a home health agency as defined in s. 400.462, or an intermediate care facility for the developmentally disabled as defined in s. 400.960. Any such setting must be located in, or serve residents or patients in, an underserved area designated by the Department of Health and must provide services to Medicaid patients.

2. Providing 25 hours annually of volunteer primary care services in a free clinic as specified in s. 766.1115(3)(d)14. or through another volunteer program operated by the state pursuant to part IV of chapter 110. In order to meet the requirements of this subparagraph, the volunteer hours must be verifiable in a manner determined by the department.

(c) Correctional facilities, state hospitals, and other state institutions that employ medical personnel must be designated by the Department of Health as underserved locations. Locations with high incidences of infant mortality, high morbidity, or low Medicaid participation by health care professionals may be designated as underserved.

(4) The Department of Health may use funds appropriated for the program as matching funds for federal loan repayment programs such as the National Health Service Corps State Loan Repayment Program.

(5) A health care practitioner who receives payment under the program shall furnish information requested by the department for the purpose of the department’s duties under s. 381.4021.

(6) The Department of Health may adopt rules for the administration of the program. The department may also solicit technical advice regarding conduct of the program from the Department of Education and Florida universities and Florida College System institutions. The Department of Health shall submit a budget request for an amount sufficient to fund medical education reimbursement, loan repayments, and program administration.

(7) The Agency for Health Care Administration shall seek federal authority to use Title XIX matching funds for this program.

(8) Any payments made under this section and subsequently returned by a financial institution to the Department of Health may be deposited into the Grants and Donations Trust Fund to be used for the same purpose. Notwithstanding ss. 216.181 and 216.292, the department may submit budget amendments, subject to the notice, review, and objection procedures of s. 216.177, to increase budget authority to make payments under this section.

(9) This section is repealed on July 1, 2034.