Welcome back to Diagnosis, a vertical that focuses on the crossroads of health care policy and politics.
— The wait is over —
Thursday morning, Senate President Kathleen Passidomo will unveil her “Live Healthy” initiative, a proposal to gird the state against health care workforce shortages in the coming years.
Sens. Gayle Harrell and Colleen Burton are expected to be on hand as Passidomo discusses her high-priority legislation with the Capital Press Corps.
For months, Passidomo has discussed the need for changes to ensure the state is doing what it can to ensure residents can access primary care, including behavioral health, across the state, including in rural areas.
Those changes – contained in two yet-to-be-published proposed bills 7016 and 7018 — will be discussed by the Senate Health Policy Committee Dec. 12.
The legislation will likely change how the state educates and trains physicians — a recent report by the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability — suggests that physicians educated in state medical schools and trained in Florida residency programs are more likely to practice in the Sunshine State than physicians who come from out of state for a residency program.
Passidomo also has stressed the need to explore awareness and innovation to address real-time challenges in health care through technology.
These recommendations will cost money to implement, something that Passidomo seems willing to do.
The proposal has been floated by the House, and Speaker Paul Renner appears to be on board.
“I like a lot … the Senate President’s got some amazing, great ideas on health care,” Renner told reporters Tuesday. “ She spent a lot of time — really thoughtful time—and there’s things I’m really, really excited about.”
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— History in the making? —
For the first time in recent history — or perhaps ever — the Florida Board of Medicine isn’t being chaired by a Florida-licensed physician.
Melbourne attorney Nicholas Romanello was voted in as BOM Chair at its meeting earlier this month. Amy Derick, a dermatologist who has contributed to DeSantis’ political efforts, was voted Vice Chair.
Romanello has served on the Board of Medicine since 2016 and is the senior vice president and chief legal officer at Health First Rockledge. He previously was the chief legal officer for the Health Care District of Palm Beach County and the general counsel at the Florida Department of Health.
The vote to make Romanello the Chair of one of the state’s medical boards indicates that no other physician member could muster the support needed to take the reins. The current BOM Chair, Dr. Scot Ackerman, offered to serve a second term but ultimately supported Romanello.
BOM member Hector Vila, first appointed to the board by former Gov. Rick Scott in 2016, also was mentioned as a possible Chair. Vila, the medical director at Tampa Bay Office Anesthesia, has served as Vice Chair but has yet to Chair.
As Vice Chair, Derick will most likely be named Board Chair next year.
The majority (12) of the 15-member board must be Florida-licensed physicians in good standing engaged in practicing or teaching medicine for at least four years immediately preceding their appointment.
One of the physicians must be in private practice and on the full-time staff of a Florida teaching hospital. One physician must be a graduate of a foreign medical school. Three members must be consumers, one must be a licensed health care risk manager, and one must be at least 60 years old.
— Nurse Botox shots? —
Let’s switch from the Board of Medicine to the Board of Nursing.
Registered nurse Maria Schafer petitioned the board late last month asking whether “it’s within the scope of practice” for her to administer a Botox shot under the direct supervision of a physician who examines the patient, orders the Botox, and specifies the dosage and muscles that should be injected.
Schafer asks whether Florida’s law regarding “advanced or specialized nursing practice” allows the board to approve the performance of advanced-level nursing acts which, by “postbasic specialized education, training, and experience, are appropriately performed.” Additionally, advanced nurses “may perform acts of nursing diagnosis and nursing treatment of alterations of the health status …” and “acts of medical diagnosis and treatment, prescription, and operation as authorized within the framework of an established supervisory protocol.”
The Florida Society of Plastic Surgeons lobbyist Christopher Nuland said his clients aren’t opposed to the petition, noting that it would apply to nurses under “direct supervision” who have orders with dosage amounts and detailed information about which muscles to inject
A copy of the Petition for Declaratory Statement may be obtained by contacting Joe R. Baker Jr., Executive Director, Board of Nursing, 4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin #C02, Tallahassee, 32399, MQA.Nursing@flhealth.gov, or by telephone at (850) 245-4125.
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This article originally appeared here and was republished with permission.
