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CS/CS/SB 230 — Health Care Practitioner Titles and Designations
by Rules Committee; Health Policy Committee; and Senator Harrell
This summary is provided for information only and does not represent the opinion of any Senator, Senate Officer, or Senate Office.
Prepared by: Health Policy Committee (HP)
The bill creates s. 456.0651, F.S., for health care practitioner titles and designations. The bill defines “advertisement,” “educational degree,” “misleading, deceptive, or fraudulent representation,” and “profession” for the purposes of the new section.
The bill provides that if someone other than an allopathic or osteopathic physician attaches to his or her name any of the titles or designations listed in the bill, in an advertisement or in a manner that is misleading, deceptive, or fraudulent, the person is practicing medicine or osteopathic medicine without a license and is subject to the provisions of s. 456.065, F.S., relating to the unlicensed practice of a health care profession. The bill provides exceptions for certain professions and certain titles and provides that practitioners may use titles and specialty designations authorized under their respective practice acts.
The bill amends s. 456.072(1)(t), F.S., to provide that:
- A practitioner’s failure to wear a name tag, which must include his or her name and profession, when treating or consulting with a patient, is grounds for discipline unless he or she is providing services in his or her own office where the practitioner’s license is prominently displayed in a conspicuous area and the practitioner verbally identifies himself or herself to all new patients by name and profession in manner that does not constitute the unlicensed practice of medicine or osteopathic medicine as provided in s. 456.0651, F.S.
- Any advertisement naming a practitioner must include the practitioner’s profession and educational degree.
- Practitioner regulatory boards, or the Department of Health if there is no board, must adopt rules to determine how their practitioners must comply with the bill’s amendments to this paragraph of statute.
If approved by the Governor, or allowed to become law without the Governor’s signature, these provisions take effect July 1, 2023.
Vote: Senate 37-0; House 78-34