Title: Medical Treatment of Animals

Summary: Authorizes use of veterinary telemedicine; authorizes veterinarian practicing veterinary telemedicine to order, prescribe, or make available certain drugs or controlled substances under specified circumstances; prohibits such veterinarian from ordering, prescribing, or making available specified controlled substances; provides exception; revises grounds for disciplinary action against veterinarian; provides supervising veterinarian assumes responsibility for person working under or at his or her supervision; provides exception to certain vaccination requirements; authorizes certain employees, agents, or contractors to administer rabies vaccinations.

Full Text:
An act relating to medical treatment of animals; amending s. 474.202, F.S.; defining the term "veterinary telemedicine"; creating s. 474.2021, F.S.; authorizing the use of veterinary telemedicine; requiring a veterinarian to establish a veterinarian/client /patient relationship to practice veterinary telemedicine; authorizing a veterinarian practicing veterinary telemedicine to order, prescribe, or make available certain drugs or controlled substances under specified circumstances; prohibiting a veterinarian practicing veterinary telemedicine from ordering, prescribing, or making available specified controlled substances; providing an exception; providing licensure requirements to practice veterinary telemedicine; providing jurisdiction of the Board of Veteri nary Medicine; amending s. 474.203, F.S.; providing an exception to who may immunize or treat an animal for certain diseases; amending s. 474.214, F.S.; revising grounds for disciplinary action against a veterinarian; amending s. 828.30, F.S.; authorizing certain employees, agents, or contractors to administer rabies vaccinations under certain circumstances; defining the term "indirect supervision"; providing that a CS/CS/HB 2022 supervising veterinarian assumes responsibility for any person working under or at his or he rdirection and supervision; authorizing a veterinarian who indirectly supervises the administration of the rabies vaccination to affix his or her signature stamp in lieu of an actual signature on the rabies vaccination certificate; providing an effective date. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: Section 1. Subsection (13) is added to section 474.202, Florida Statutes, to read: 474.202 Definitions.-As used in this chapter: (13) "Veterinary telemedicine" means the use of synchronous telecommunication technology by a veterinarian who has access to and has reviewed the patient's relevant medical records to provide veterinary services, including, but not limited to, consultation, evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of a patie nt; transfer of medical records; and exchange of information with a client. Section 2. Section 474.2021, Florida Statutes, is created to read: 474.2021 Veterinary telemedicine.-(1) A veterinarian may practice veterinary telemedicine. (2) A veter inarian practicing veterinary telemedicine CS/CS/HB 2022 shall take appropriate steps to establish the veterinarian/client/patient relationship and provide quality of care consistent with the prevailing professional standards of care for a veterinarian. (3) A veterina rian practicing veterinary telemedicine may order, prescribe, or make available medicinal drugs or drugs as defined in chapter 465. (4) A veterinarian practicing veterinary telemedicine may order, prescribe, or make available controlled substances as defined in chapter 893, except as provided in subsection (5), if the veterinarian has previously performed an in-person physical examination of the patient or made medically appropriate and timely visits to the premises where the animal is kept. (5) A veter inarian practicing veterinary telemedicine may not use veterinary telemedicine to order, prescribe, or make available controlled substances listed in Schedule II of s. 893.03 unless the controlled substance is ordered, prescribed, or made available for the treatment of a terminal patient that is transferred to the veterinarian practicing veterinary telemedicine for hospice services by a veterinarian who has previously performed an in-person physical examination of the patient or made medically appropriate a nd timely visits to the premises where the animal is kept and the veterinarian practicing veterinary telemedicine has reviewed the patient's medical records. CS/CS/HB 2022 (6) A veterinarian must hold a current license to practice veterinary medicine in this state in order to practice veterinary telemedicine. The practice of veterinary medicine is deemed to occur at the premises where the patient is located at the time the veterinarian practices veterinary telemedicine. (7) The board has jurisdiction over a veterinar ian practicing veterinary telemedicine in this state, regardless of where the veterinarian's physical office is located. The practice of veterinary telemedicine in accordance with this section is not a standard of care violation, and a veterinarian may not be disciplined solely for practicing veterinary telemedicine. Section 3. Paragraph (a) of subsection (5) of section 474.203, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 474.203 Exemptions.-This chapter does not apply to: (5)(a) Any person, or the person's regular employee, administering to the ills or injuries of her or his own animals, including, but not limited to, castration, spaying, and dehorning of herd animals, unless title is transferred or employment provided for the purpose of circumventing this law. This exemption does not apply to any person licensed as a veterinarian in another state or foreign jurisdiction and practicing temporarily in this state. However, except as provided in s. 828.30, only a veterinarian may immunize or treat an animal for diseases that are communicable to humans and that CS/CS/HB 2022 are of public health significance. For the purposes of chapters and 893, persons exempt pursuant to subsection (1), subsection (2), or subsection (4) are deemed to be duly licensed practitioners authorized by the laws of this state to prescribe drugs or medicinal supplies. Section 4. Paragraph (y) of subsection (1) of section 474.214, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 474.214 Disciplinary proceedings.-(1) The following acts shall constitute grounds for which the disciplinary actions in subsection (2) may be taken: (y) Using the privilege of ordering, prescribing, or making available medicinal drugs or drugs as defined in chapter 465, or controlled substa nces as defined in chapter 893, for use other than for the specific treatment of animal patients for which there is a documented veterinarian/client/patient relationship. Pursuant thereto, The veterinarian shall: 1. Have sufficient knowledge of the anima lor group of animals to initiate at least a general or preliminary diagnosis of the medical condition of the animal or group of animals,which means that the veterinarian is personally acquainted with the keeping and caring of the animal or group of anima ls and has recently performed a physical examination of the animal or group of animals either in person or by the use of veterinary telemedicine in compliance with s. 474.2021 seen the animal or CS/CS/HB 2022 has made medically appropriate and timely visits to the premi ses where the animal or group of animals are is kept. 2. Be available or provide for followup care and treatment in case of adverse reactions or failure of the regimen of therapy. 3. Maintain records which document patient visits, diagnosis, treatment, and other relevant information required under this chapter. Section 5. Subsections (1) and (3) of section 828.30, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 828.30 Rabies vaccination of dogs, cats, and ferrets.-(1)(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b), all dogs, cats, and ferrets months of age or older must be vaccinated by a licensed veterinarian against rabies with a vaccine that is licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture for use in those species. (b) An employee, agent, or con tractor of an animal control authority acting under the indirect supervision of a veterinarian may vaccinate impounded animals that will be transferred, rescued, fostered, adopted, or reclaimed by the owner. As used in this paragraph, the term "indirect supervision" means the supervising veterinarian must be available for consultation through telecommunications but is not required to be on the premises during such consultation. The supervising veterinarian assumes responsibility for the CS/CS/HB 2022 veterinary care prov ided to the animal by any person working under or at his or her direction and supervision. (c) The owner of every dog, cat, and ferret shall have the animal revaccinated months after the initial vaccination. Thereafter, the interval between vaccinatio ns shall conform to the vaccine manufacturer's directions. The cost of vaccination must be borne by the animal's owner. Evidence of circulating rabies virus neutralizing antibodies may shall not be used as a substitute for current vaccination in managing rabies exposure or determining the need for booster vaccinations. (3) Upon vaccination against rabies, the licensed veterinarian shall provide the animal's owner and the animal control authority with a rabies vaccination certificate. Each animal control a uthority and veterinarian shall use the "Rabies Vaccination Certificate" of the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians (NASPHV) or an equivalent form approved by the local government that contains all the information required by the NASP HV Rabies Vaccination Certificate. The veterinarian who administers the rabies vaccination, or who indirectly supervises an employee, agent, or contractor of an animal control authority who administers the rabies vaccination, vaccine to an animal as requir ed under this section may affix his or her signature stamp in lieu of an actual signature on the rabies vaccination certificate.Section 6. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022.