Avoiding Delays in License Renewals

Florida Medical BoardIt’s almost renewal time once again for many health care practitioners.  If this is your renewal cycle, please note the following information provided by the Florida Board of Medicine, which can help you avoid some of the most common delays encountered with license renewals.

It is important to remember the upcoming renewal is the first to have mandatory continuing medical education reporting requirements.  If you have not done so, please activate your account with CE Broker and ensure that all required CME you have completed for this renewal has been uploaded.

Most of the medical practitioners renewing will be required to submit the following:

  • Completed renewal application
  • Required fees
  • Evidence that you have practiced medicine or have been on the active faculty of an accredited medical school for at least two years of the immediately preceding four years
  • Completion of Financial Responsibility form
  • Completion of Physician Workforce Survey
  • Verification of Physician Profile
  • Verification of your current status relating to prescribing controlled substances for the treatment of chronic non-malignant pain

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Controlled Substance Provider Registration – The Time is Now!

via Florida Board of Medicine 6-10-2013 —  In accordance with s. 456.44, F.S., a physician licensed under chapter 458, chapter 459, chapter 461, or chapter 466 who prescribes any controlled substance listed in Schedule II, Schedule III, or Schedule IV, as defined in s. 893.03, F.S., for the treatment of chronic nonmalignant pain must designate himself or herself as a controlled substance prescribing practitioner on the physician’s practitioner profile. If the physician does not prescribe controlled substances for the treatment of chronic nonmalignant pain, the “Controlled Substance Prescriber” field will indicate “NO,” but as long as the physician holds a DEA prescribing license, he or she is still authorized to prescribe controlled substances.Continue reading

Florida Board of Medicine Says: Take a Pause

Via Florida Board of Medicine – – – The Florida Board of Medicine’s Surgical Care/Quality Assurance Committee has been reviewing Rule 64B8-9.007, Florida Administrative Code – Standards of Practice in an effort to reduce the number of wrong patient, wrong site and/or wrong procedure disciplinary cases. This rule outlines requirements for taking a pause prior to beginning surgery to ensure you have the right patient, the right site and are performing the right surgery as described in the Informed Consent signed by the patient. The Board continues to see disciplinary cases in which the required “pause” is performed but surgery is still performed on the wrong patient, wrong site or the wrong procedure is performed. The Committee met three times and heard public testimony. During that testimony, it was determined the definition of surgery also needed to be clarified. Changes to the rule include:

  • Physicians are required to confirm the patient’s identity, confirm the procedure being performed and confirm the correct surgical site with another healthcare practitioner
  • “Pause” must be performed again if the physician leaves the room at any time during the procedure or surgery
  • Clarification of the definition of surgery

These changes are effective January 29, 2013 and are underlined in the rule language below:

64B8-9.007 Standards of Practice.

The Board of Medicine interprets the standard of care requirement of Section 458.331(1)(t), F.S., and the delegation of duties restrictions of Section 458.331(1)(w), F.S., with regard to surgery as follows:

(1) The ultimate responsibility for diagnosing and treating medical and surgical problems is that of the licensed doctor of medicine or osteopathy who is to perform the procedure. In addition, it is the responsibility of the treating physician or an equivalently trained doctor of medicine or osteopathy or a physician practicing within a Board approved postgraduate training program to explain the procedure to and obtain the informed consent of the patient. It is not necessary, however, that the treating physician obtain or witness the signature of the patient on the written form evidencing informed consent.

(2) This rule is intended to prevent wrong site, wrong side, wrong patient and wrong surgeries/procedures by requiring the team to pause prior to the initiation of the surgery/procedure to confirm the side, site, patient identity, and surgery/procedure.

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