Florida

Board

of

Medicine

The Board welcomes new board member, Seela Ramesh, M.D. who was appointed by the Governor effective August 10th.  Dr. Ramesh will serve a four year term, ending on October 31, 2019.  Dr. Ramesh is Board certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology.  Dr. Ramesh practices at Florida Hospital-Orlando.  Welcome to the Board!

Controlled substance prescriber not required on profile

The Department has received numerous calls in recent weeks from physicians expressing concerns that some pharmacists are not filling controlled substance prescriptions if the physician is not listed as a controlled substance prescriber on the practitioner profile on the Department of Health’s website. While there may be many reasons a pharmacist may decide in his or her professional judgment not to fill a prescription, the Department wants to ensure that any confusion concerning the physician registration requirements is addressed.

The lack of a designation on the physician profile concerning controlled substances does not necessarily mean that the physician cannot prescribe controlled substances. Section 456.44, Florida Statutes, requires a physician licensed under chapter 458, chapter 459, chapter 461 or chapter 466 who prescribes controlled substances listed in Schedule II, Schedule III, or Schedule IV for the treatment of chronic nonmalignant pain, to designate himself or herself as a controlled substance prescribing practitioner on the physician’s practitioner profile. This requirement is applicable only to those physicians that are treating patients for chronic nonmalignant pain. Therefore, physicians that are not treating patients for chronic nonmalignant pain are not required to register and may continue prescribing controlled substances for other diagnoses.

By Allison Dudley, J.D., Executive Director
Board of Pharmacy

Rules Update
The Board continues to work on rules for Telemedicine [Rule 64B8-9.0141, F.A.C.] and Office Surgery [Rule 64B8-9.009, F.A.C.].  Both of these rules will be discussed on October 8, 2015.  Stay tuned to our web page for more information.

Rule 64B8-10.003, F.A.C.—Costs for Reproduction of Medical Records has not changed at this time.  To view the current rule, go to Florida Administrative Code Rule 64B8 and view Rule 64B8-10.003, F.A.C.

Presentations

Martha Brown, M.D., Assistant Director PRN, provided a presentation on disruptive physicians to the Board Members at the August 2015 Board Meeting.  Disruptive behavior can lead to miscommunication and patient harm; this is an area of concern and future discussion for the Board.  To view this presentation, go to the Board’s web site under the “Latest News” tab.

August 6-7, 2015 Board Meeting

The Board of Medicine is tasked with ensuring applicants meet the current requirements for licensure.  If issues are identified in the application, the applicant may be asked to appear before the Credentials Committee.

Discipline Statistics from the August 6-7, 2015 Board Meeting

In addition to licensing qualified practitioners, the Board conducts disciplinary hearings at the Board Meetings.  You may examine the agenda, agenda materials, and listen to the audio of these meetings at  www.FLBoardofMedicine.gov under the “Meetings” tab.