Senate Bill 0932c1

    Florida Senate - 1998                            CS for SB 932

    By the Committee on Health Care and Senator Brown-Waite





    317-1944-98

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to regulation of professionals;

  3         amending s. 455.624, F.S.; specifying health

  4         care professionals for whom failure to wear

  5         certain identification while offering services

  6         to the public is grounds for disciplinary

  7         action; requiring the Department of Health or

  8         appropriate board to designate by rule

  9         exceptions to the grounds for disciplinary

10         action; providing penalties; providing an

11         effective date.

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13  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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15         Section 1.  Paragraph (t) is added to subsection (1) of

16  section 455.624, Florida Statutes, to read:

17         455.624  Grounds for discipline; penalties;

18  enforcement.--

19         (1)  The following acts shall constitute grounds for

20  which the disciplinary actions specified in subsection (2) may

21  be taken:

22         (t)  Failing to wear identification, which shall be

23  conspicuously displayed and legible, indicating the

24  practitioner's name and professional title authorized pursuant

25  to section 400.211; chapter 457; chapter 458; chapter 459;

26  chapter 460; chapter 461; chapter 462; chapter 463; chapter

27  464; chapter 465; chapter 466; chapter 467; part I, part III,

28  part V, part X, or part XIV of chapter 468; part III or part

29  IV of chapter 483; chapter 484; chapter 486; chapter 490; or

30  chapter 491, while practicing as an employee or operator of a

31  hospital, clinic, or group practice, or at a commercial

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 1998                            CS for SB 932
    317-1944-98




  1  establishment, offering health care services to the public.

  2  However, physicians licensed under chapter 458, chapter 459,

  3  chapter 460, or chapter 461, and psychologists licensed under

  4  chapter 490, are exempt from the provisions of this paragraph

  5  while practicing in a clinic or group practice. Disciplinary

  6  actions for violation of this paragraph shall be restricted to

  7  a notice of noncompliance pursuant to subsection (3). The

  8  department or appropriate board shall adopt a rule to exempt

  9  practitioners from the requirements of this paragraph in

10  practice settings where compliance would interfere with the

11  practitioner's delivery of health care services.

12         Section 2.  This act shall take effect October 1, 1998.

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14          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
15                         Senate Bill 932

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17  The committee substitute extends a requirement for specified
    health care professionals to wear identification to: nursing
18  assistants; midwives; orthotists; prosthetists;
    prosthetist-orthotists; pedorthotists; orthotic fitters;
19  orthotic fitter assistants; clinical laboratory personnel;
    medical physicists; opticians; and hearing aid specialists.
20  The committee substitute authorizes the Department of Health
    or the appropriate regulatory board to adopt administrative
21  rules to exempt practitioners from the identification
    requirements in practice settings where compliance would
22  interfere with the practitioner's delivery of health care
    services. The committee substitute limits the sanction for
23  failure to comply with practitioner identification
    requirements to the issuance of a notice of noncompliance. The
24  committee substitute exempts certain health care practitioners
    from the identification requirements when practicing in a
25  clinic, or group practice.

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