General FAQs

Although  tattoo artists and tattoo establishments are regulated by Environmental Health, there are no laws and rules in the Florida Medical Practice Act that directly address tattoo removal.

The registration and inspection of radiation devices, such as x-ray machines, is handled by Radiation Control. Radiological Personnel is regulated by the Council on Radiation Protection.

The laws and rules in the Florida Medical Practice Act do not specifically state whether or not a physician must display his or her license in the waiting area of their practice. The guidelines for the disclosure of licensure status can be found in Rule 64B8-11.003, F.A.C., which states:

All persons licensed pursuant to Chapter 458, F.S., and not exempt pursuant to Section 456.072(1)(t), F.S., shall identify the license under which he or she practices in one of the following manners:

1. The wearing of a name tag which identifies the licensee as either a medical doctor (M.D.), a physician assistant (P.A.), or an anesthesiologist assistant (A.A.);
2. The wearing of an article of clothing on the upper body which identifies the licensee as either a medical doctor (M.D.), a physician assistant (P.A.), or an anesthesiologist assistant (A.A.);
3. By orally disclosing to the patient, upon the licensee’s initial in-person contact with the patient, that the licensee is either a medical doctor, a physician assistant, or an anesthesiologist assistant;
4. By providing, upon the licensee’s initial in-person contact with the patient, a business card or similar document which identifies the licensee as either a medical doctor (M.D.), a physician assistant (P.A.), or an anesthesiologist assistant (A.A.); 
5. By placing notification in the lobby or waiting area of the location where the licensee practices, which contains a photo of the licensee and which identifies the licensee as either a medical doctor (M.D.), a physician assistant (P.A.), or an anesthesiologist assistant (A.A.).

I have been disciplined by a medical board in another state. Am I required to report it to the Florida Board of Medicine?

Yes. According to s. 458.331(1)(kk), Florida Statutes, a physician must report to the board, in writing, within 30 days if an action has been taken against one’s license to practice medicine in another state, territory, or country. The reporting physician should provide enough detail for the board to be able to locate and obtain the disciplinary documents. It is helpful for the physician to provide supporting documents; however, it is not required.

Per s. 456.042 Florida Statutes, the physician is also required to update her/his practitioner profile within 15 days after a change of any occurrence in each section of the profile.

The Board of Medicine does not have the authority to grant CME hardship exemptions. A license cannot be renewed without proof of completion of all CME requirements

Currently, the only regulation that directly addresses laser hair removal is Rule 64B8-56.002, F.A.C., which states that electrologists can perform laser hair removal only under the direct supervision of a licensed physician who has been properly trained in hair removal. If this rule does not apply to you, but you are interested in performing laser hair removal, it is recommended that you contact an attorney for legal guidance.

The department only accepts payment in the form of cashier’s checks or money orders. The respondent should make the cashier’s check or money order payable to the Department of Health, and should mail the payment to the following address:

Department of Health
Compliance Management Unit
Post Office Box 6320
Tallahassee, FL 32314-6320

For payments delivered via Overnight service, send to:

Department of Health
Compliance Management Unit
4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin C76
Tallahassee, FL 32399-3276

The respondent must include their license number and case number on all documentation mailed to the Department in referenced to their compliance case. Any additional questions should be directed to  MQA.ConsumerServices@flhealth.gov.

NCCPA certification is required to obtain a PA license. However, a PA is not required to maintain a NCCPA certification for licensure in Florida. If the PA elects not to be certified, he/she will be required to obtain 100 hours of CME for renewal of his/her license. A PA with the certification is only required to document the certification and completion of the required core courses in prevention of medical errors and, every third biennium, the domestic violence course.

According to Rule 64B8-35.002, F.A.C.:
The number of persons to be supervised shall be limited to insure that an acceptable standard of medical care is rendered in consideration of the following factors:

(a) Risk to patient;
(b) Educational preparation, specialty, and experience of the parties to the protocol;
(c) Complexity and risk of the procedures;
(d) Practice setting; and
(e) Availability of the physician or dentist

Yes. Currently there is no specific law that states a physician may not prescribe to family members.

Medical Doctors can obtain a License Certification using VeriDoc. If the state in which you are applying does not accept VeriDoc, or you hold a license in another health care profession, you can use the online Certification Request Form. More information about License Certification can be found at the Department of Health’s License Certification page.
Although this office does not issue letters of good standing, the above includes the current status of the license and whether agency action has been taken against the license. This is the standard format for all healthcare practitioners.

According to Rule 64B8-13.005(1)(c),F.A.C., a course on the prevention of medical errors which includes a study of root cause analysis, error reduction and prevention, and patient safety, and which is approved by any state or federal government agency, or nationally affiliated professional association, or any provider of Category I or II American Medical Association Continuing Medical Education. One hour of a two hour course which is provided by a facility licensed pursuant to Chapter 395, F.S., for its employees may be used to partially meet this requirement. The course must include information relating to the five most mis-diagnosed conditions during the previous biennium, as determined by the Board. While wrong site/wrong procedure surgery continues to be the most common basis for quality of care violations, the following areas have been determined as the five most mis-diagnosed conditions: cancer related conditions; surgery complications; respiratory related conditions; OB/GYN related conditions; cardiology related conditions.

The cost to change an active status license to an inactive status at the time of renewal is $389, and $460 if not at renewal. Physicians with an inactive status license must still renew the license every two years during each biennium, are obligated to update their profile, but are not authorized to practice in the state of Florida. In addition, the physician is required by law to pay the annual $250 assessment fee to the Neurological Injury Compensation Association (NICA) unless they qualify for a NICA exemption outlined in s.766.314, FS. If the license is not renewed after two consecutive biennial licensure cycles, the license will expire and the physician will have to reapply for licensure meeting the current licensure requirements. If the physician has not practiced for 2 out of the previous 4 years, the physician will be required to take the SPEX. For more information, please see “How do I reactivate an inactive license”.

The cost to change an active status license to a retired status at the time of renewal is $55, and $155 outside of the renewal period. The preferred method of payment is either a cashier’s check or money order made payable to the Department of Health. The licensed practitioner with a retired license is not authorized to practice in the state of Florida, but still holds a license. The practitioner is not obligated to update his/her profile data.

The documentation needed to change the status from active to retired during the renewal period is a paper renewal form and a check-mark in the box that says; “Change to Retired Status”. No other documents are needed for retirement during renewal. Mail the renewal form and the payment to the Department of Health, P.O. Box 6320, Tallahassee, Florida 32314-6320.

The documentation needed to change the status from active to retired outside of the renewal period is a signed written statement from the licensee requesting the retired status. The statement must include your full name, license number and mailing address.

No other documents are needed for retiring. Mail the signed request and payment to the P.O. Box listed above.

The retired status license cannot be renewed by the normal renewal process and you will no longer receive notifications from the Department of Health. Please be aware that physicians choosing to change the retired status to active status will be required to pay all past renewal fees and if the physician has not practiced within the past 5 years the SPEX will be required for reactivating the license. For more information, please see “How do I reactivate a retired license.”

Visit the Office for Civil Rights website for information to assist patients and families in understanding HIPAA privacy rights and procedures and for information on filing a complaint or see the HHS.gov FAQ http://www.hhs.gov/answers/hipaa/where-can-i-find-information-about-health-information-privacy/index.html

Section 458.336, F.S. grants the Board of Medicine the authority to adopt rules to establish the practice guidelines for drugs used to treat obesity. These practice guidelines can be found in Rule 64B8-9.012, F.A.C.

Once you are logged into Online Services, select Update Address link from the side navigational menu.

Yes, Florida health care professionals can seek assistance for impairment through the Department’s Impaired Practitioner Programs – the Intervention Project for Nurses (IPN) or the Professionals Resource Network (PRN).

Impairment may be as a result of misuse or abuse of alcohol or drugs, or both, or due to a mental or physical condition which could affect the licensee’s ability to practice with skill and safety.

Intervention Project for Nurses, Inc. (IPN) (Contract Number: COMV5)
Linda L. Smith, APRN, M.Div, CAP, Chief Executive Officer
P.O. Box 49130 Jacksonville Beach, FL 32240-9130
Toll Free: (800) 840-2720
Telephone Number: (904) 270-1620
FAX: (904) 270-1633
E-Mail: lsmith@ipnfl.org

Professionals Resource Network, Inc. (PRN) (Contract Number: COMW3)
P.O. Box 1020 Fernandina Beach, Florida 32035-1020
Toll Free: (800) 888-8PRN (8776)
Telephone Number: 904-277-8004
Fax: 904-261-3996
E-Mail: admin@flprn.org

You are required to report all criminal activities after you receive your medical license. You may report the criminal offense(s) online via Online Services, by e-mail MQAOnlineService@flhealth.gov, or by mail to:

Florida Department of Health
Licensure Support Services Unit, Bin #C-10
Tallahassee, FL 32399-3267.

If reporting by e-mail or mail, provide the date of the offense, a description of the crime, and the county and state of jurisdiction.

License Verification – Information regarding the licensure status of a practitioner. This is for use by persons or organizations that do not require a document certifying this information under seal.

Licensure Certification – Specific document certifying licensure status and disciplinary history, prepared by a representative of the Division of Medical Quality Assurance and bearing a seal. This document is generally required for applicants seeking licensure in other states and for use in court proceedings. There is a $25 fee for this service in accordance with Rule 64B-4.001, F.A.C.

Although this office does not issue letters of good standing, the above includes the current status of the license and whether agency action has been taken against the license. This is the standard format for all healthcare practitioners.

By visiting the board’s meetings page. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on either past or upcoming meetings. Review the meeting dates to locate the agenda you need and the board’s agenda should be posted on the right under Materials.

All board meetings are open to the public.

Board members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate. You may apply by contacting the Governor’s Appointment Office, LL10 The Capitol, Tallahassee FL 32399-0001; or by calling (850) 488-2183.

You may learn more about the Complaint process and submit the appropriate complaint forms by visiting our online Enforcement website.

Five business days.

You can request a practitioner’s disciplinary history from our Public Records website.

To view a list of actively licensed practitioners, use the License Verification Search and select the county and profession from the drop-down list.

All medical doctors, osteopathic physicians, chiropractic physicians, podiatrists, and advanced practice registered nurse have profiles that list this information.

Users of later versions of AOL may experience problems accessing links within the Medical Quality Assurance (MQA) Services page when inside AOL and using the AOL browser. This is caused by pop-up security features within newer versions of AOL. Try to avoid accessing MQA Services from within AOL. The way around the problem, once you have started AOL, is to minimize the AOL window and, from your computer’s desktop, open up an Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator browser. Type the url directly on the address line of the browser and press Enter. You will be able to access all the features within the MQA Services page without experiencing problems.

This website is secured using a thawte Digital Certificate. This ensures that all information you send to us via the World Wide Web will be encrypted. Please click on the thawte Trusted Site Seal which demonstrates our commitment to your security. In addition to the thawte Trusted Site Seal, you will also see the “€œlock” emblem displayed in the browser. In Internet Explorer 6, the lock emblem can be found in the lower right-hand corner of the status bar. In Internet Explorer 7.0, the lock emblem can be found next to the address (URL) line. In FireFox and Netscape, the emblem can be found in both locations.

Log into your MQA Online Services Portal account and select Request Duplicate License from the “Manage My License Information” pulldown menu. Review your changes and click “Submit.”  

NOTE: Your license should be retrievable through the MQA Online Services Portal within 2 business days after your order is complete. If your profession is pending renewal or in a current renewal cycle, you may be asked to renew your license instead of being issued a duplicate license. 

No. There is no additional cost for making a credit card payment online.

Verify that you are using the email address: MedicalQualityAssurance@flhealth.gov. Also, if you have SPAM blocker on your computer, you will not be able to receive emails from Licensure Services without updating your SPAM blocker to allow emails from the Department. Please update your SPAM blocker to receive emails from @flhealth.gov or contact our Licensure Support Services at (850)-488-0595.

If a PDF file fails to download, shows up blank, or freezes your internet browser, the file was most likely corrupted during the download process. To correct the problem, you will need to first clear your browser’s cache, then close and restart the browser, which entails logging back into MQA Services to continue downloading the document. If the cache is not cleared the cached version of the document, which is likely damaged, will still appear.

If you are an allopathic physician, osteopathic physician or dentist, licensed in another state but do not hold a Florida medical license, and you plan to provide expert witness testimony in Florida, you must register for an Expert Witness Certificate. If you are interested in becoming an Expert Witness, please select “Licensing” for more information.

The current regulations regarding Telemedicine can be found in Rule 64B8-9.0141, FAC. In recent years, telemedicine has begun to expand beyond the boundaries of prescribing to include areas of practice such as remote robotic surgery and video conferencing. The Florida Board of Medicine acknowledges that the scope of telemedicine has broadened and will be discussing these changes at future meetings of the Surgical Care and Quality Assurance Committee.

Information about how to report Unlicensed Activity can be found on the website of the Bureau of Enforcement.