Florida Senate - 2015 CS for SB 710
By the Committee on Health Policy; and Senators Grimsley and
Ring
588-03629-15 2015710c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to physical therapy; amending s.
3 486.021, F.S.; redefining the term “practice of
4 physical therapy”; amending s. 486.081, F.S.;
5 providing that a licensed physical therapist who holds
6 a specified doctoral degree may use specified letters
7 in connection with her or his name or place of
8 business; prohibiting a physical therapist with a
9 specified doctoral degree from using the title
10 “doctor” without informing the public of his or her
11 profession as a physical therapist; amending s.
12 486.135, F.S.; revising the terms and specified
13 letters prohibited from use by a person in connection
14 with her or his name or place of business who is not
15 licensed as a physical therapist or physical therapist
16 assistant; providing an effective date.
17
18 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
19
20 Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subsection (11) of section
21 486.021, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
22 486.021 Definitions.—In this chapter, unless the context
23 otherwise requires, the term:
24 (11) “Practice of physical therapy” means the performance
25 of physical therapy assessments and the treatment of any
26 disability, injury, disease, or other health condition of human
27 beings, or the prevention of such disability, injury, disease,
28 or other condition of health, and rehabilitation as related
29 thereto by the use of the physical, chemical, and other
30 properties of air; electricity; exercise; massage; the
31 performance of acupuncture only upon compliance with the
32 criteria set forth by the Board of Medicine, when no penetration
33 of the skin occurs; the use of radiant energy, including
34 ultraviolet, visible, and infrared rays; ultrasound; water; the
35 use of apparatus and equipment in the application of the
36 foregoing or related thereto; the performance of tests of
37 neuromuscular functions as an aid to the diagnosis or treatment
38 of any human condition; or the performance of electromyography
39 as an aid to the diagnosis of any human condition only upon
40 compliance with the criteria set forth by the Board of Medicine.
41 (a) A physical therapist may implement a plan of treatment
42 developed by the physical therapist for a patient or provided
43 for a patient by a practitioner of record, or by an advanced
44 registered nurse practitioner licensed under s. 464.012, or by a
45 physician licensed in another state. The physical therapist
46 shall refer the patient to or consult with a practitioner of
47 record if the patient’s condition is found to be outside the
48 scope of physical therapy. If physical therapy treatment for a
49 patient is required beyond 30 21 days for a condition not
50 previously assessed by a practitioner of record, or by a
51 physician licensed in another state, the physical therapist
52 shall obtain a practitioner of record who will review and sign
53 the plan. For purposes of this paragraph, a health care
54 practitioner licensed under chapter 458, chapter 459, chapter
55 460, chapter 461, or chapter 466 and engaged in active practice
56 is eligible to serve as a practitioner of record.
57 Section 2. Subsection (1) of section 486.081, Florida
58 Statutes, is amended to read:
59 486.081 Physical therapist; issuance of license without
60 examination to person passing examination of another authorized
61 examining board; fee.—
62 (1) The board may cause a license to be issued through the
63 department without examination to any applicant who presents
64 evidence satisfactory to the board of having passed the American
65 Registry Examination prior to 1971 or an examination in physical
66 therapy before a similar lawfully authorized examining board of
67 another state, the District of Columbia, a territory, or a
68 foreign country, if the standards for licensure in physical
69 therapy in such other state, district, territory, or foreign
70 country are determined by the board to be as high as those of
71 this state, as established by rules adopted pursuant to this
72 chapter. Any person who holds a license pursuant to this section
73 may use the words “physical therapist” or “physiotherapist,” or
74 the letters “P.T.,” in connection with her or his name or place
75 of business to denote her or his licensure hereunder. Any person
76 who holds a license pursuant to this section and obtains a
77 doctoral degree in physical therapy may use the letters “D.P.T.”
78 or “P.T.” A physical therapist who holds a degree of Doctor of
79 Physical Therapy may not use the title “doctor” without also
80 clearly informing the public of his or her profession as a
81 physical therapist.
82 Section 3. Subsection (1) of section 486.135, Florida
83 Statutes, is amended to read:
84 486.135 False representation of licensure, or willful
85 misrepresentation or fraudulent representation to obtain
86 license, unlawful.—
87 (1)(a) It is unlawful for any person who is not licensed
88 under this chapter as a physical therapist, or whose license has
89 been suspended or revoked, to use in connection with her or his
90 name or place of business the words “physical therapist,”
91 “physiotherapist,” “physical therapy,” “physiotherapy,”
92 “registered physical therapist,” or “licensed physical
93 therapist”; or the letters “P.T.,” or “D.P.T.” “Ph.T.,”
94 “R.P.T.,” or “L.P.T.”; or any other words, letters,
95 abbreviations, or insignia indicating or implying that she or he
96 is a physical therapist or to represent herself or himself as a
97 physical therapist in any other way, orally, in writing, in
98 print, or by sign, directly or by implication, unless physical
99 therapy services are provided or supplied by a physical
100 therapist licensed in accordance with this chapter.
101 (b) It is unlawful for any person who is not licensed under
102 this chapter as a physical therapist assistant, or whose license
103 has been suspended or revoked, to use in connection with her or
104 his name the words “physical therapist assistant,” “licensed
105 physical therapist assistant,” “registered physical therapist
106 assistant,” or “physical therapy technician”; or the letters
107 “P.T.A.,” “L.P.T.A.,” “R.P.T.A.,” or “P.T.T.”; or any other
108 words, letters, abbreviations, or insignia indicating or
109 implying that she or he is a physical therapist assistant or to
110 represent herself or himself as a physical therapist assistant
111 in any other way, orally, in writing, in print, or by sign,
112 directly or by implication.
113 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2015.