This bill amends existing Florida statutes related to health care practitioner specialty titles and designations. It revises legislative findings to emphasize the importance of regulating health care professions to protect public health, safety, and welfare. The bill creates a new section, 456.65, which prohibits health care practitioners not licensed as physicians or osteopathic physicians from using specific specialist titles or designations unless authorized. Violations of this provision will be considered unlicensed practice of medicine or osteopathic medicine, allowing the Department of Health to pursue remedies. Additionally, the bill specifies how licensed practitioners can represent their specialties and outlines the titles and abbreviations that various health care professionals, including chiropractic physicians, podiatric physicians, and dentists, may use.

Furthermore, the bill amends sections 458.3312 and 459.0152 to establish that physicians and osteopathic physicians cannot claim to be board-certified specialists unless they have received formal recognition from an approved certifying agency. It lists specific specialist titles that are subject to this requirement and allows the respective boards to adopt additional titles by rule. The bill is set to take effect on July 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
S 172 Filed: 456.003, 458.3312, 459.0152