Florida Senate - 2026                             CS for SB 1480
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Health Policy; and Senator Burton
       
       
       
       
       
       588-02204-26                                          20261480c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to temporary certificates for practice
    3         in areas of critical need; amending ss. 458.315,
    4         459.0076, and 464.0121, F.S.; revising the conditions
    5         under which the Board of Medicine, the Board of
    6         Osteopathic Medicine, and the Board of Nursing,
    7         respectively, are authorized to issue temporary
    8         certificates for practice in areas of critical need;
    9         authorizing certificateholders to continue primary
   10         care services after such areas lose their critical
   11         need designation under certain circumstances;
   12         providing an effective date.
   13          
   14  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   15  
   16         Section 1. Paragraph (c) of subsection (3) of section
   17  458.315, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   18         458.315 Temporary certificate for practice in areas of
   19  critical need.—
   20         (3) The board may issue a temporary certificate under this
   21  section subject to the following restrictions:
   22         (c)1. Any certificate issued under this section is valid
   23  only so long as one of the following conditions applies:
   24         a. The State Surgeon General determines that the reason for
   25  which it was issued remains a critical need to the state.
   26         b.The certificate was issued for practice in an area of
   27  critical need that has since lost its designation and the
   28  certificateholder maintains an active primary care treatment
   29  relationship in the area with one or more patients. In such
   30  case, the certificateholder may continue providing primary care
   31  services to patients in such area under the certificate if the
   32  board finds that all other requirements are satisfied during its
   33  review of the certificateholder.
   34         2. The board shall review each temporary certificateholder
   35  at least annually to ascertain that the certificateholder is
   36  complying with the minimum requirements of the Medical Practice
   37  Act and its adopted rules, as applicable to the
   38  certificateholder. If it is determined that the
   39  certificateholder is not meeting such minimum requirements, the
   40  board must revoke such certificate or impose restrictions or
   41  conditions, or both, as a condition of continued practice under
   42  the certificate.
   43         Section 2. Paragraph (c) of subsection (3) of section
   44  459.0076, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   45         459.0076 Temporary certificate for practice in areas of
   46  critical need.—
   47         (3) The board may issue this temporary certificate subject
   48  to the following restrictions:
   49         (c)1. Any certificate issued under this section is valid
   50  only so long as one of the following conditions applies:
   51         a. The State Surgeon General determines that the reason for
   52  which it was issued remains a critical need to the state.
   53         b.The certificate was issued for practice in an area of
   54  critical need that has since lost its designation and the
   55  certificateholder maintains an active primary care treatment
   56  relationship in the area with one or more patients. In such
   57  case, the certificateholder may continue providing primary care
   58  services to patients in such area under the certificate if the
   59  board finds that all other requirements are satisfied during its
   60  review of the certificateholder.
   61         2. The board shall review each temporary certificateholder
   62  at least annually to ascertain that the certificateholder is
   63  complying with the minimum requirements of the Osteopathic
   64  Medical Practice Act and its adopted rules, as applicable to the
   65  certificateholder. If it is determined that the
   66  certificateholder is not meeting such minimum requirements, the
   67  board must revoke such certificate or impose restrictions or
   68  conditions, or both, as a condition of continued practice under
   69  the certificate.
   70         Section 3. Paragraph (c) of subsection (3) of section
   71  464.0121, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   72         464.0121 Temporary certificate for practice in areas of
   73  critical need.—
   74         (3) The board may issue a temporary certificate under this
   75  section subject to the following restrictions:
   76         (c)1. Any certificate issued under this section is valid
   77  only so long as one of the following conditions applies:
   78         a. The State Surgeon General maintains the determination
   79  that the critical need that supported the issuance of the
   80  temporary certificate remains a critical need to the state.
   81         b.The certificate was issued for practice in an area of
   82  critical need that has since lost its designation and the
   83  certificateholder maintains an active primary care treatment
   84  relationship in the area with one or more patients. In such
   85  case, the certificateholder may continue providing primary care
   86  services to patients in such area under the certificate if the
   87  board finds that all other requirements are satisfied during its
   88  review of the certificateholder.
   89         2. The board shall review each temporary certificateholder
   90  at least annually to ascertain that the certificateholder is
   91  complying with the minimum requirements of the Nurse Practice
   92  Act and its adopted rules, as applicable to the
   93  certificateholder. If it is determined that the
   94  certificateholder is not meeting such minimum requirements, the
   95  board must revoke such certificate or impose restrictions or
   96  conditions, or both, as a condition of continued practice under
   97  the certificate.
   98         Section 4. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.