2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART VII - Hospitals, Institutions and Health Programs (§§ 3001 — 3891) › Chapter 131 - Health Services Integral Reform (§§ 3001 — 3030) › § 3009 - Transfers

All the functions of the Secretary of State and of the Department of State related to the following bodies, and to any other to be created in the future and which are related to health professionals, are hereby transferred to the Department of Health:
(a) Board of Medical Examiners.
(b) Board of Dental Examiners.
(c) Board of Chiropractic Examiners.
(d) Board of Nurse Examiners.
(e) Board of Physical Therapy.
(f) Board of Examiners of Medical Technologists.
(g) Board of Examiners of Surgical Technical Aides.
(h) Board of Examiners of Radiological Technicians.
(i) Board of Examiners of Optometrists.
(j) Board of Examiners for Occupational Therapy.
(k) Board of Examiners of Dental Technicians.
(l) Board of Examiners of Nutritionists and Dietitians.
(m) Board of Examiners of Nursing Home Administrators.
(n) Board of Pharmacy.
(o) Board of Examiners of Health Services Administrators.
(p) Board of Examiners of Health Educators.
(q) Board of Examiners of Embalmers.
Furthermore, the personnel, property and records available in the State Department on the effective date of this act are hereby transferred to the Department to be used, employed or spent in connection with the functions transferred by the preceding paragraph. The unspent balances of the appropriations, items of appropriations or other funds set aside for the performance of the functions transferred by this section are hereby transferred to the Health Fund. The budget appropriations in subsequent years to attend to the functions transferred to the Department of Health shall be made directly to the Health Fund. Provided, That the license fees paid by the applicants shall be covered into the Health Fund.
In harmony with the foregoing, all the Examining Boards mentioned in the first paragraph of this section shall be transferred to the Department of Health without prejudice to the powers and faculties they have by law.
The Examining Boards and the Department of Health shall establish the consulting and coordinating mechanisms and shall adopt the necessary agreements to carry out their respective functions.
The examining bodies referred to in this section shall revise the laws under which they were created so that they may harmonize their provisions with what is provided in this chapter. Said bodies shall prepare and present to the Governor and to the Legislature, through the Secretary, whatever legislation may be necessary. Likewise, said bodies are hereby directed to establish the necessary registration requirements and mechanisms for the Board of Medical Examiners, and for all the other Examining Boards attached to the Department of Health, of the licenses they issue every three (3) years, and for the recertification of the professionals based on continuing education in a term of three (3) years, for the Board of Medical Examiners, and for all the other Examining Boards attached to the Department of Health, counting from the date on which said bodies prepared the continuing education plan for each of the professions, and the regulations to this effect have been approved, pursuant to the provisions of §§ 3010 and 3030 of this title. Provided, That the continuing education courses may be offered by legally constituted professional organizations, and by accredited educational institutions, provided the Secretary determines they are qualified to offer said courses. The existing mechanisms for the recertification of professionals for each one of the health professions, and the particular needs that may arise in a profession as a result of new discoveries or technological changes, shall be taken into consideration. The examining bodies concerned shall also provide for the certification of specialties, as they may be determined by regulations.
As of July 1, 1983, all health professionals shall be recertified with the continuing education courses they have approved up to that date. From July 1, 1983, on, the procedure established in each regulation shall be followed.
Every health professional shall submit a duly completed recertification and registration form that shall be provided by the Health Professional Requesting and Certification Office of the Department of Health, accompanied by a postal or bank money order or a certified check, drawn to the order of the Secretary of the Treasury, for the amount of fixed by the law that regulates the profession practiced. If said law does not fix the fee, the amount shall be thirty dollars ($30).
The fees paid for this concept shall be covered into the Health Fund and shall be designated by the Secretary for the exclusive use of the Examining Boards Division of the Department of Health. Provided, however, that for Fiscal Year 2014-2015, the sum of seven thousand dollars ($700,000) from this Fund to the Legal Liability Fund.
History —June 23, 1976, No. 11, p. 672, § 17, renumbered as § 9 on June 29, 1977, No. 124, p. 338, § 23; July 11, 1978, No. 32, p. 459, § 1; Sept. 17, 1979, No. 8, p. 962, § 1; Sept. 12, 1983, No. 4, p. 356, § 1; May 23, 1984, No. 26, p. 54, § 1; Sept. 1, 2000, No. 287, § 1; July 1, 2014, No. 78, § 11.