Florida Senate - 2021                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. CS for SB 1370
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì5367167Î536716                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                  Comm: RCS            .                                
                  03/17/2021           .                                
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       The Committee on Agriculture (Rodriguez) recommended the
       following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Delete lines 41 - 70
    4  and insert:
    5  establish such relationship.
    6         (14) “Veterinary telemedicine” means the practice of
    7  veterinary medicine in a remote setting, including through the
    8  use of telephone or audio-visual technology or by other means
    9  consistent with the veterinarian’s professional judgment, as
   10  long as the veterinarian/client/patient relationship is
   11  established either in person or by audio-visual technology.
   12         Section 2. Section 474.2021, Florida Statutes, is created
   13  to read:
   14         474.2021 Veterinary telemedicine.—
   15         (1) A veterinarian may practice veterinary telemedicine. A
   16  physical examination is not required for the veterinarian to
   17  assume responsibility for making medical judgments or providing
   18  treatment by means of veterinary telemedicine in a manner
   19  consistent with the veterinary standard of care.
   20         (2)(a) A veterinarian who establishes a
   21  veterinarian/client/patient relationship without a physical
   22  examination may only provide the following services through
   23  veterinary telemedicine:
   24         1. Triage of patients in first aid and emergency cases.
   25         2. Consultation and prescription of drugs for the following
   26  areas of care: nutrition, training, dermatological conditions,
   27  and anxiety.
   28         (b) Notwithstanding paragraph (a), a veterinarian may not
   29  prescribe drugs for extralabel use or veterinary feed directive
   30  drugs without a veterinarian/client/patient relationship that is
   31  established through a physical examination and is otherwise
   32  consistent with federal law.
   33         (3) A veterinarian may not prescribe controlled substances
   34  if the veterinarian/client/patient relationship has been
   35  established by means of veterinary telemedicine under this
   36  section and the veterinarian has not previously performed a
   37  physical examination.
   38         (4) A veterinarian must hold a current license to practice
   39  veterinary medicine in this state in order to practice
   40  veterinary telemedicine.
   41         (5) The board has jurisdiction over a veterinarian
   42  practicing veterinary telemedicine in this state, regardless of
   43  where the veterinarian’s physical offices are located. The
   44  practice of veterinary telemedicine in accordance with this
   45  section is not itself a standard of care violation, and a
   46  veterinarian may not be disciplined solely for practicing
   47  veterinary telemedicine. The same veterinary standard of care
   48  applies to services provided through veterinary telemedicine as
   49  applies to veterinary care provided during an in-person visit.
   50  
   51  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   52  And the title is amended as follows:
   53         Delete lines 7 - 8
   54  and insert:
   55         practice veterinary telemedicine; specifying the
   56         services a veterinarian may provide without first
   57         establishing a veterinarian/client/patient
   58         relationship by a physical examination; prohibiting
   59         veterinarians from prescribing controlled substances
   60         under certain circumstances;