Organ and Tissue Procurement and Transplantation Advisory Board; creation; duties.

(1) There is hereby created the Organ and Tissue Procurement and Transplantation Advisory Board, which shall consist of 14 members who are appointed by and report directly to the Secretary of Health Care Administration. The membership must be regionally distributed and must include:

(a) Two representatives who have expertise in vascular organ transplant surgery;

(b) Two representatives who have expertise in vascular organ procurement, preservation, and distribution;

(c) Two representatives who have expertise in musculoskeletal tissue transplant surgery;

(d) Two representatives who have expertise in musculoskeletal tissue procurement, processing, and distribution;

(e) A representative who has expertise in eye and cornea transplant surgery;

(f) A representative who has expertise in eye and cornea procurement, processing, and distribution;

(g) A representative who has expertise in bone marrow procurement, processing, and transplantation;

(h) A representative from the Florida Pediatric Society;

(i) A representative from the Florida Society of Pathologists; and

(j) A representative from the Florida Medical Examiners Commission.

(2) The advisory board members may not be compensated for their services except that they may be reimbursed for their travel expenses as provided by law. Members of the board shall be appointed for 3-year terms of office.

(3) The board shall:

(a) Assist the agency in the development of necessary professional qualifications, including, but not limited to, the education, training, and performance of persons engaged in the various facets of organ and tissue procurement, processing, preservation, and distribution for transplantation;

(b) Assist the agency in monitoring the appropriate and legitimate expenses associated with organ and tissue procurement, processing, and distribution for transplantation and developing methodologies to assure the uniform statewide reporting of data to facilitate the accurate and timely evaluation of the organ and tissue procurement and transplantation system;

(c) Provide assistance to the Florida Medical Examiners Commission in the development of appropriate procedures and protocols to ensure the continued improvement in the approval and release of potential donors by the district medical examiners and associate medical examiners;

(d) Develop with and recommend to the agency the necessary procedures and protocols required to assure that all residents of this state have reasonable access to available organ and tissue transplantation therapy and that residents of this state can be reasonably assured that the statewide procurement transplantation system is able to fulfill their organ and tissue requirements within the limits of the available supply and according to the severity of their medical condition and need; and

(e) Develop with and recommend to the agency any changes to the laws of this state or administrative rules or procedures to ensure that the statewide organ and tissue procurement and transplantation system is able to function smoothly, effectively, and efficiently, in accordance with the Federal Anatomical Gift Act and in a manner that assures the residents of this state that no person or entity profits from the altruistic voluntary donation of organs or tissues.