Florida 2023 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H1117 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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3	3	HB 1117 2023
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10	10	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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14	14	A bill to be entitled 1
15	15	An act relating to the medical treatment of animals; 2
16	16	providing a short title; amending s. 474.202, F.S.; 3
17	17	defining the term "veterinary telemedicine"; creating 4
18	18	s. 474.2021, F.S.; authorizing veterinarians to 5
19	19	practice veterinary telemedicine; providing licensure 6
20	20	requirements to practice veterinary telemedicine; 7
21	21	providing jurisdiction of the Board of Veterinary 8
22	22	Medicine; requiring a veterinarian practicing 9
23	23	telemedicine to establish a 10
24	24	veterinarian/client/patient relationship, provide the 11
25	25	client with specified information, and employ certain 12
26	26	professional judgments regarding the use of veterinary 13
27	27	telemedicine; authorizing a veterinarian practicing 14
28	28	telemedicine to order , prescribe, or make available 15
29	29	specified medicinal drugs; prohibiting such 16
30	30	veterinarian from ordering, prescribing, or making 17
31	31	available controlled substances unless certain 18
32	32	conditions are met; authorizing veterinarians to 19
33	33	practice veterinary telemedicine f or animals on 20
34	34	certain animal operations if the veterinarian meets 21
35	35	certain conditions; amending s. 474.203, F.S.; 22
36	36	conforming provisions to changes made by the act; 23
37	37	amending s. 474.214, F.S.; revising grounds for 24
38	38	disciplinary action against a veterinarian; a mending 25
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40	40	HB 1117 2023
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47	47	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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49	49
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51	51	s. 474.2165, F.S.; revising the definition of the term 26
52	52	"records owner" to conform to changes made by the act; 27
53	53	amending s. 828.30, F.S.; authorizing certain 28
54	54	employees, agents, or contractors to administer rabies 29
55	55	vaccinations under certain circumstan ces; providing 30
56	56	that a supervising veterinarian assumes responsibility 31
57	57	for any person working under the veterinarian's 32
58	58	supervision or at his or her direction; defining the 33
59	59	term "indirect supervision"; authorizing a 34
60	60	veterinarian who indirectly supervises the 35
61	61	administration of the rabies vaccination to affix his 36
62	62	or her signature stamp in lieu of an actual signature 37
63	63	on the rabies vaccination certificate; providing an 38
64	64	effective date. 39
65	65	40
66	66	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 41
67	67	42
68	68	Section 1. This act may be cited as the "Providing Equity 43
69	69	in Telemedicine Services (PETS) Act." 44
70	70	Section 2. Subsection (14) is added to section 474.202, 45
71	71	Florida Statutes, to read: 46
72	72	474.202 Definitions. —As used in this chapter: 47
73	73	(14) "Veterinary telemedicine" mea ns the practice of 48
74	74	veterinary medicine using synchronous, audiovisual, interactive 49
75	75	telecommunications technology. 50
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84	84	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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88	88	Section 3. Section 474.2021, Florida Statutes, is created 51
89	89	to read: 52
90	90	474.2021 Veterinary telemedicine. — 53
91	91	(1) A veterinarian may practice veterinary telemedicine. 54
92	92	(2) A veterinarian must hold a current license to practice 55
93	93	veterinary medicine in this state in order to practice 56
94	94	veterinary telemedicine. The practice of veterinary medicine is 57
95	95	deemed to occur at the premises where the patient i s located at 58
96	96	the time the veterinarian practices veterinary telemedicine. 59
97	97	(3) The board has jurisdiction over a veterinarian 60
98	98	practicing veterinary telemedicine in this state, regardless of 61
99	99	where the veterinarian's physical office is located. 62
100	100	(4) A veterinarian practicing telemedicine shall do all of 63
101	101	the following: 64
102	102	(a) Establish the veterinarian/client/patient 65
103	103	relationship. 66
104	104	(b) Provide the client with a statement containing the 67
105	105	veterinarian's identity, license number, and contact information 68
106	106	and the contact information for at least one physical veterinary 69
107	107	clinic in the vicinity of the pet's location and instructions 70
108	108	for how to receive patient follow -up care or assistance if the 71
109	109	veterinarian and client are unable to communicate because of a 72
110	110	technological or equipment failure or if there is an adverse 73
111	111	reaction to treatment. The veterinarian shall obtain from the 74
112	112	client a signed and dated statement indicating the client has 75
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114	114	HB 1117 2023
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121	121	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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125	125	received the required information. 76
126	126	(c) Employ sound, professional judgment to determine 77
127	127	whether using veterinary telemedicine is an appropriate method 78
128	128	for delivering medical advice or treatment to the patient and 79
129	129	providing quality of care consistent with prevailing veterinary 80
130	130	medical practice. The practice of veterinary telemedicine in 81
131	131	compliance with this section is not a quality -of-care violation, 82
132	132	and a veterinarian may not be disciplined solely for practicing 83
133	133	veterinary telemedicine. 84
134	134	(5) A veterinarian practicing veterinary telemedicin e may 85
135	135	order, prescribe, or make available medicinal drugs or drugs as 86
136	136	defined in chapter 465. 87
137	137	(6) A veterinarian practicing veterinary telemedicine may 88
138	138	not order, prescribe, or make available controlled substances as 89
139	139	defined in chapter 893 unless the vet erinarian has performed an 90
140	140	in-person physical examination of the patient or made medically 91
141	141	appropriate and timely visits to the premises where the patient 92
142	142	is kept. 93
143	143	(7) A veterinarian personally acquainted with the caring 94
144	144	and keeping of an animal or group of animals on food-producing 95
145	145	animal operations on land classified as agricultural pursuant to 96
146	146	s. 193.461 who has recently seen the animal or group of animals 97
147	147	or has made medically appropriate and timely visits to the 98
148	148	premises where the animal or group of animals is kept may 99
149	149	practice veterinary telemedicine for animals on such operations 100
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151	151	HB 1117 2023
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158	158	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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162	162	in compliance with this section and applicable federal law. 101
163	163	Section 4. Paragraph (a) of subsection (5) of section 102
164	164	474.203, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 103
165	165	474.203 Exemptions.—This chapter does not apply to: 104
166	166	(5)(a) Any person, or the person's regular employee, 105
167	167	administering to the ills or injuries of her or his own animals, 106
168	168	including, but not limited to, castration, spaying, and 107
169	169	dehorning of herd animals, unless title is transferred or 108
170	170	employment provided for the purpose of circumventing this law. 109
171	171	This exemption does not apply to any person licensed as a 110
172	172	veterinarian in another state or foreign jurisdiction and 111
173	173	practicing temporarily in this state. However, except as 112
174	174	provided in s. 828.30, only a veterinarian may immunize or treat 113
175	175	an animal for diseases that are communicable to humans and that 114
176	176	are of public health significance. 115
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178	178	For the purposes of chapters 465 and 893, persons exempt 117
179	179	pursuant to subsection (1), s ubsection (2), or subsection (4) 118
180	180	are deemed to be duly licensed practitioners authorized by the 119
181	181	laws of this state to prescribe drugs or medicinal supplies. 120
182	182	Section 5. Paragraph (y) of subsection (1) of section 121
183	183	474.214, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 122
184	184	474.214 Disciplinary proceedings. — 123
185	185	(1) The following acts shall constitute grounds for which 124
186	186	the disciplinary actions in subsection (2) may be taken: 125
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188	188	HB 1117 2023
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195	195	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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199	199	(y) Using the privilege of ordering, prescribing, or 126
200	200	making available medicinal drugs or drugs as defined in chapter 127
201	201	465, or controlled substances as defined in chapter 893, for use 128
202	202	other than for the specific treatment of animal patients for 129
203	203	which there is a documented veterinarian/client/patient 130
204	204	relationship. Pursuant thereto, The veterinarian shall: 131
205	205	1. Have sufficient knowledge of the animal to initiate at 132
206	206	least a general or preliminary diagnosis of the medical 133
207	207	condition of the animal, which means that the veterinarian is 134
208	208	personally acquainted with the keeping and caring of the animal 135
209	209	and has recently performed an examination of the patient either 136
210	210	in person or by the use of veterinary telemedicine in compliance 137
211	211	with s. 474.2021 seen the animal or has made medically 138
212	212	appropriate and timely visits to the premises where the animal 139
213	213	is kept. 140
214	214	2. Be available or provide for follow-up followup care and 141
215	215	treatment in case of adverse reactions or failure of the regimen 142
216	216	of therapy. 143
217	217	3. Maintain records which document patient visits, 144
218	218	diagnosis, treatment, and other relevant information required 145
219	219	under this chapter. 146
220	220	Section 6. Subsection (1) of section 474.2165, Florida 147
221	221	Statutes, is amended to read: 148
222	222	474.2165 Ownership and control of veterinary medical 149
223	223	patient records; report or copies of records to be furnished. — 150
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232	232	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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236	236	(1) As used in this section, the term " records owner" 151
237	237	means any veterinarian who generates a medical record after 152
238	238	making an a physical examination of a patient, either in person 153
239	239	or by the use of veterinary telemedicine in compliance with s. 154
240	240	474.2021, or administering treatment or dispensing leg end drugs 155
241	241	to, any patient; any veterinarian to whom records are 156
242	242	transferred by a previous records owner; or any veterinarian's 157
243	243	employer, provided the employment contract or agreement between 158
244	244	the employer and the veterinarian designates the employer as the 159
245	245	records owner. 160
246	246	Section 7. Subsections (1) and (3) of section 828.30, 161
247	247	Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 162
248	248	828.30 Rabies vaccination of dogs, cats, and ferrets. — 163
249	249	(1)(a) All dogs, cats, and ferrets 4 months of age or 164
250	250	older must be vaccinated by a l icensed veterinarian or, in the 165
251	251	case of impounded animals, a person authorized under paragraph 166
252	252	(b) against rabies with a vaccine that is licensed by the United 167
253	253	States Department of Agriculture for use in those species. 168
254	254	(b) An employee, an agent, or a con tractor of a county or 169
255	255	municipal animal control authority acting under the indirect 170
256	256	supervision of a veterinarian may vaccinate impounded dogs, 171
257	257	cats, and ferrets that will be transferred, rescued, fostered, 172
258	258	adopted, or reclaimed by the owner. The supervisi ng veterinarian 173
259	259	assumes responsibility for any person vaccinating animals at the 174
260	260	veterinarian's direction or under his or her supervision. As 175
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269	269	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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273	273	used in this paragraph, the term "indirect supervision" means 176
274	274	that the supervising veterinarian is required to be available 177
275	275	for consultation through telecommunications but is not required 178
276	276	to be physically present during such consultation. 179
277	277	(c) The owner of every dog, cat, and ferret shall have the 180
278	278	animal revaccinated 12 months after the initial vaccination. 181
279	279	Thereafter, the interval between vaccinations shall conform to 182
280	280	the vaccine manufacturer's directions. The cost of vaccination 183
281	281	must be borne by the animal's owner. Evidence of circulating 184
282	282	rabies virus neutralizing antibodies may shall not be used as a 185
283	283	substitute for current vaccination in managing rabies exposure 186
284	284	or determining the need for booster vaccinations. 187
285	285	(3) Upon vaccination against rabies, the licensed 188
286	286	veterinarian shall provide the animal's owner and the animal 189
287	287	control authority with a rabies vaccination certificate. Each 190
288	288	animal control authority and veterinarian shall use the "Rabies 191
289	289	Vaccination Certificate" of the National Association of State 192
290	290	Public Health Veterinarians (NASPHV) or an equivalent form 193
291	291	approved by the local government which that contains all the 194
292	292	information required by the NASPHV Rabies Vaccination 195
293	293	Certificate. The veterinarian who administers the rabies 196
294	294	vaccination, or who supervises the administration of the rabies 197
295	295	vaccination as provided in paragraph (1)(b), vaccine to an 198
296	296	animal as authorized required under this section may affix his 199
297	297	or her signature stamp in lieu of an actual signature. 200
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310	310	Section 8. This act shall take effect July 1, 2023. 201