June 2015 Newsletter
June 2015 Florida Board of Medicine Newsletter Introduction The Board of Medicine meets six times each year to conduct disciplinary hearings, licensure hearings and to handle board business including creating and amending rules of the Board. Another role of the … Continue reading
FDA ALERT
The Florida Department of Health remains vigilant in its efforts to ensure the safety of the public. Currently, the Department is contacting all Florida recipients… Continue reading
Information for Physician Assistants: Prescribing in Florida
In Florida, Physician Assistants (PAs) can prescribe, order and dispense mediations. However, PAs are not permitted to prescribe the medicinal drugs listed in the formulary. Prescribing: In order for a PA to prescribe, the supervising physician must delegate such authority … Continue reading
Q: What is the scope of practice for a prescribing and or dispensing physician assistant?
A: A supervisory physician may delegate to a fully licensed physician assistant the authority to prescribe or dispense any medication used in the supervisory physician’s practice unless such medication is listed in the formulary shown in 64B8-30.008 F.A.C. A fully … Continue reading
How do I register as a Dispensing Practitioner?
Dispensing is defined as selling medicinal drugs to patients in the office. A practitioner who writes prescriptions or provides complimentary professional samples is not a “dispensing practitioner,” and therefore does not need to register with the department. A practitioner authorized … Continue reading
Does this law apply to written orders by a prescribing practitioner in an institutional setting?
The law clearly references written prescriptions, not written orders. There is a distinct difference between the two. An order relates to administration; a prescription relates to dispensing. Thus, in our interpretation, the law does not apply to written orders.
What are the basic new requirements of this law?
That the prescription be legibly written or typed; that the quantity of the drug must be written in numerical and textual format (e.g. 10 -ten); that the date of the prescription must be written in textual letters (e.g. July 1, … Continue reading
Why was this law passed?
The law was created in the interest of reducing prescription errors and keeping Florida citizens and visitors safe.
Will the Board of Pharmacy be considering any rule changes?
Although the law doesn’t grant specific rulemaking authority, the Board of Pharmacy, at its August meeting, will consider whether or not to draft a rule specifying the standard of practice for pharmacists on how to handle a prescription that does … Continue reading
Is the pharmacist required to tell the Department each time a script is missing part of the new law’s requirements?
There is no reporting requirement in the law, however, arguably, if a prescription written by a health care practitioner does not meet the requirements it could be viewed as a general violation of the law. Again, for the first year … Continue reading
