This bill modified several aspects of health care practitioner regulation, including broadening the range of services certain health care practitioners can provide and revising requirements for telehealth services. This bill addressed the growing need for genetic counseling services by establishing genetic counselors as a new licensed profession and outlining criteria for their initial licensure, annual renewal, and CE. This bill authorizes Florida to join the Interstate Compact for Licensed Professional Counselors, also known as the Counseling Compact, which facilitates the practice of licensed professional counseling across state lines and helps provide in-person and telehealth services to patients in other compact member states. 2020: SB 1676 2021: SB 1770 2022: HB 1521 Enhanced Licensure Mobility The transformation of the landscape of health care regulation over the last five years has been marked by the notable rise in licensure mobility initiatives across the nation. This trend, propelled by the imperative to enhance access to care, streamline administrative burdens, and address workforce shortages, has involved the emergence and expansion of various mechanisms facilitating the movement of health care practitioners across jurisdictions: • At the forefront of this movement is the concept of universal licensing, which aims to remove barriers for health care practitioners seeking to practice in multiple states. With universal licensing, a health care license obtained in one jurisdiction is universally recognized, eliminating the need for redundant licensure processes. Florida is adopting universal licensing as a result of Senate Bill 1600 Interstate Mobility (2024), which streamlines the process of health care practitioners and enhances access to care across the state. • In response to workforce shortages, the issuance of limited licenses as provisional licenses emerged as a vital tool that empowers health care practitioners to swiftly address critical needs in jurisdictions where they are not permanently licensed. Limited licenses serve as a rapid-response mechanism often due to the fewer requirements compared to standard licensure procedures, ensuring timely access to essential care. In Florida, practitioners of some professions, like medicine and dentistry, may leverage limited licenses to work in underserved areas, ensuring that all Floridians can quickly receive essential health care services. • Licensure compacts represent a visionary approach to standardizing licensure requirements and fostering mobility across multiple states. These compacts, exemplified by initiatives like the NLC, establish uniform standards for licensure, education, and practice, enabling practitioners to obtain licenses valid in multiple compact member states. Licensure compacts promote consistency, efficiency, and reciprocity, propelling forward the agenda of licensure mobility in health care regulation. See Table 1A for a deeper look at licensure mobility in Florida, including licensure compacts statistics. 3 16 MQA Annual Report and Long-Range Plan | FY 2023-24
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjA3OTMwMA==