Florida Senate - 2015                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 476
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì535926AÎ535926                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                  Comm: RCS            .                                
                  03/23/2015           .                                
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       The Committee on Health Policy (Grimsley) recommended the
       following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Delete everything after the enacting clause
    4  and insert:
    5         Section 1. Subsection (23) of section 394.455, Florida
    6  Statutes, is amended to read:
    7         394.455 Definitions.—As used in this part, unless the
    8  context clearly requires otherwise, the term:
    9         (23) “Psychiatric nurse” means an advanced a registered
   10  nurse practitioner certified under s. 464.012 who has a master’s
   11  or doctoral degree in psychiatric nursing and holds a national
   12  advanced practice certification as a psychiatric-mental health
   13  advanced practice nurse licensed under part I of chapter 464 who
   14  has a master’s degree or a doctorate in psychiatric nursing and
   15  2 years of post-master’s clinical experience under the
   16  supervision of a physician.
   17         Section 2. Paragraph (f) of subsection (2) of section
   18  394.463, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   19         394.463 Involuntary examination.—
   20         (2) INVOLUNTARY EXAMINATION.—
   21         (f) A patient shall be examined by a physician, a or
   22  clinical psychologist, or a psychiatric nurse performing within
   23  the framework of an established protocol with a psychiatrist at
   24  a receiving facility without unnecessary delay and may, upon the
   25  order of a physician, be given emergency treatment if it is
   26  determined that such treatment is necessary for the safety of
   27  the patient or others. The patient may not be released by the
   28  receiving facility or its contractor without the documented
   29  approval of a psychiatrist, a clinical psychologist, or, if the
   30  receiving facility is owned or operated by a hospital or health
   31  system, the release may also be approved by a psychiatric nurse
   32  performing within the framework of an established protocol with
   33  a psychiatrist or an attending emergency department physician
   34  with experience in the diagnosis and treatment of mental and
   35  nervous disorders and after completion of an involuntary
   36  examination pursuant to this subsection. A psychiatric nurse may
   37  not approve the release of a patient when the involuntary
   38  examination has been initiated by a psychiatrist unless the
   39  release is approved by the initiating psychiatrist. However, a
   40  patient may not be held in a receiving facility for involuntary
   41  examination longer than 72 hours.
   42         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2015.
   43  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   44  And the title is amended as follows:
   45         Delete everything before the enacting clause
   46  and insert:
   47                        A bill to be entitled                      
   48         An act relating to mental health; amending s. 394.455,
   49         F.S.; redefining the term “psychiatric nurse”;
   50         amending s. 394.463, F.S.; adding a psychiatric nurse
   51         as a person at a receiving facility authorized to
   52         perform a required examination of certain patients;
   53         prohibiting the release of a patient from a receiving
   54         facility that is owned or operated by a hospital or
   55         health system without specified approvals; authorizing
   56         the release of a patient by a psychiatric nurse under
   57         certain circumstances; prohibiting a psychiatric nurse
   58         from releasing a patient if the involuntary
   59         examination was initiated by a psychiatrist without
   60         the psychiatrist’s approval; providing an effective
   61         date.