New Legislation Impacting Your Profession

Posted in Latest News on June 29, 2021.

HB 241 - Parents' Bill of Rights

Effective Date: July 1, 2021
HB 241 (Full Text)

Summary:

The bill creates the “Parents’ Bill of Rights,” which states that licensed health care providers and facilities cannot provide services, prescribe medicine, or perform any procedure without first obtaining written parental consent unless otherwise authorized by law.

The bill requires a health care practitioner, or his or her employees, to obtain parental consent before performing health care services on a minor child and subjects health care practitioners and health care facilities to disciplinary action for violation of these parental consent requirements in certain instances. The bill includes criminal penalties as well as providing grounds for disciplinary action.

HB 245: Massage Therapy

Effective Date: July 1, 2021
HB 245 (Full Text)

Summary:

The bill expands the scope of practice for massage therapy by requiring a massage therapist to perform an assessment to determine the course of massage therapy treatment. The bill also makes conforming changes to statutory citations and terminology throughout the statutes.

SB 530 - Nonopioid Alternatives

Effective Date: July 1, 2021
SB 530 (Full Text)

Summary:

The bill allows prescribing health care practitioners, who are required to provide information about nonopioid alternatives, to provide health care patients (or their representatives under certain circumstances) the required educational pamphlet electronically in lieu of providing a printed copy.

SB 716 - Consent for Pelvic Examinations

Effective Date: July 1, 2021
SB 716 (Full Text)

Summary:

The bill amends section 456.51, Florida Statutes, relating to informed consent for pelvic examinations. The bill excludes visual assessment, imaging, and diagnostic medical or surgical procedures from the definition of pelvic examination, requires informed verbal consent of conscious patients in addition to written consent, prescribes those circumstances when consent is not required, and limits the need for informed consent to the initial pelvic examination of a pregnant woman under certain circumstances.

SB 1934 - Health Care Practitioner Discipline

Effective Date: July 1, 2021
SB 1934 (Full Text)

Summary:

The bill requires certain offenses be included in grounds for discipline for health care practitioners. It requires the Department of Health to issue an Emergency Order suspending the license of any health care practitioner who is arrested for committing or attempting, soliciting, or conspiring to commit any act that would constitute a violation of certain offenses in this state or similar offenses in another jurisdiction.

If you’d like to view all 2021 bills impacting health care professions, please go to www.flhealthsource.gov/2021-bills



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