Bill Text: FL S1162 | 2024 | Regular Session | Introduced


Bill Title: Veterinary Practices

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2024-03-08 - Died in Regulated Industries [S1162 Detail]

Download: Florida-2024-S1162-Introduced.html
       Florida Senate - 2024                                    SB 1162
       
       
        
       By Senator Ingoglia
       
       
       
       
       
       11-00030A-24                                          20241162__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to veterinary practices; creating s.
    3         474.2021, F.S.; providing a short title; authorizing
    4         licensed veterinarians to practice veterinary
    5         telehealth in accordance with specified criteria;
    6         specifying the powers of the Board of Veterinary
    7         Medicine related to the practice of telehealth;
    8         specifying the conditions under which a veterinarian
    9         may practice veterinary telehealth; specifying the
   10         drugs a veterinarian practicing telehealth may not
   11         provide under specified circumstances; providing
   12         specific authorizations for cases where a patient is a
   13         food-producing species; amending s. 474.2165, F.S.;
   14         conforming provisions to changes made by the act;
   15         amending s. 828.30, F.S.; authorizing specified people
   16         to vaccinate dogs, cats, and ferrets against rabies if
   17         certain conditions are met; providing that a
   18         supervising veterinarian assumes responsibility for
   19         specified people who provide the vaccinations;
   20         authorizing veterinarians to affix their signature
   21         stamp in lieu of a signature in specified cases;
   22         providing an effective date.
   23          
   24  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   25  
   26         Section 1. Section 474.2021, Florida Statutes, is created
   27  to read:
   28         474.2021Veterinary telehealth.—
   29         (1)This section may be cited as the “Providing Equity in
   30  Telehealth Services Act.”
   31         (2)A veterinarian who holds a current license to practice
   32  veterinary medicine in this state may practice veterinary
   33  telehealth. For purposes of this section, the term “telehealth”
   34  has the same meaning as in s. 456.47(1).
   35         (3)The board has jurisdiction over a veterinarian
   36  practicing veterinary telehealth, regardless of where the
   37  veterinarian’s physical office is located. The practice of
   38  veterinary medicine is deemed to occur at the premises where the
   39  patient is located at the time the veterinarian practices
   40  veterinary telehealth.
   41         (4)A veterinarian practicing veterinary telehealth:
   42         (a)May not engage in the practice of veterinary telehealth
   43  unless it is within the context of a veterinarian/client/patient
   44  relationship;
   45         (b)Must practice in a manner consistent with his or her
   46  scope of practice and the prevailing professional standard of
   47  practice for a veterinarian who provides in-person veterinary
   48  services to patients in this state;
   49         (c)May use telehealth to perform a patient evaluation. If
   50  a veterinarian practicing telehealth conducts a patient
   51  evaluation sufficient to diagnose and treat the patient, the
   52  veterinarian is not required to research a patient’s medical
   53  history or conduct a physical examination of the patient before
   54  using veterinary telehealth to provide a veterinary health care
   55  service to the patient; and
   56         (d)Must prescribe all drugs and medications in accordance
   57  with all federal and state laws. A veterinarian practicing
   58  veterinary telehealth may order, prescribe, or make available
   59  medicinal drugs or drugs as defined in s. 465.003. A
   60  veterinarian may not use telehealth to prescribe a controlled
   61  substance listed in Schedule II of s. 893.03.
   62         (5)A veterinarian personally acquainted with the caring
   63  and keeping of an animal or a group of animals on food-producing
   64  animal operations on land classified as agricultural pursuant to
   65  s. 193.461 who has recently seen the animal or group of animals
   66  or has made medically appropriate and timely visits to the
   67  premises where the animal or group of animals is kept may
   68  practice veterinary telehealth for animals on such operations.
   69         Section 2. Subsection (1) of section 474.2165, Florida
   70  Statutes, is amended to read:
   71         474.2165 Ownership and control of veterinary medical
   72  patient records; report or copies of records to be furnished.—
   73         (1) As used in this section, the term “records owner” means
   74  any veterinarian who generates a medical record after making an
   75  a physical examination of, or administering treatment or
   76  dispensing legend drugs to, any patient; any veterinarian to
   77  whom records are transferred by a previous records owner; or any
   78  veterinarian’s employer, provided the employment contract or
   79  agreement between the employer and the veterinarian designates
   80  the employer as the records owner.
   81         Section 3. Subsections (1) and (3) of section 828.30,
   82  Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
   83         828.30 Rabies vaccination of dogs, cats, and ferrets.—
   84         (1)(a) All dogs, cats, and ferrets 4 months of age or older
   85  must be vaccinated by a licensed veterinarian against rabies
   86  with a vaccine that is licensed by the United States Department
   87  of Agriculture for use in those species.
   88         (b)The following persons who operate under the indirect
   89  supervision of a veterinarian may vaccinate any dog, cat, or
   90  ferret against rabies if the animal is in the custody of an
   91  animal control authority, sheriff, or shelter and if that animal
   92  will be transferred, rescued, fostered, adopted, or reclaimed by
   93  the owner:
   94         1.An employee, an agent, or a contractor of a county or
   95  municipal animal control authority or sheriff; or
   96         2.A veterinary technician who is an employee, an agent, or
   97  a contractor of a private, nonprofit animal shelter with a
   98  premises permit as required under s. 474.215(1) and that employs
   99  a full-time staff veterinarian.
  100  
  101  The supervising veterinarian assumes responsibility for any
  102  person who vaccinates animals against rabies at his or her
  103  direction or supervision. As used in this paragraph, the term
  104  “indirect supervision” means the supervising veterinarian is
  105  available for consultation through telecommunications but is not
  106  required to be physically present during such consultation.
  107         (c) The owner of every dog, cat, and ferret shall have the
  108  animal revaccinated 12 months after the initial vaccination.
  109  Thereafter, the interval between vaccinations shall conform to
  110  the vaccine manufacturer’s directions. The cost of vaccination
  111  must be borne by the animal’s owner. Evidence of circulating
  112  rabies virus neutralizing antibodies may shall not be used as a
  113  substitute for current vaccination in managing rabies exposure
  114  or determining the need for booster vaccinations.
  115         (3) Upon vaccination against rabies, the licensed
  116  veterinarian shall provide the animal’s owner and the animal
  117  control authority with a rabies vaccination certificate. Each
  118  animal control authority and veterinarian shall use the “Rabies
  119  Vaccination Certificate” of the National Association of State
  120  Public Health Veterinarians (NASPHV) or an equivalent form
  121  approved by the local government that contains all the
  122  information required by the NASPHV Rabies Vaccination
  123  Certificate. The veterinarian who administers the rabies
  124  vaccination, or who supervises the administration of the rabies
  125  vaccination as provided in paragraph (1)(b), vaccine to an
  126  animal as authorized required under this section may affix his
  127  or her signature stamp in lieu of an actual signature.
  128         Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.

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