Recent changes in Florida’s medical regulations are affecting how physicians and physician assistants (PAs) operate, train, and become licensed. The Florida Board of Medicine has taken several actions, including clarifying prescriptive authority for PAs with area of critical need (ACN) licenses and addressing ongoing concerns about office surgery inspection deficiencies.
During a February meeting, the Board discussed whether PAs with an ACN license could prescribe medication. Current law allows only fully licensed PAs to be delegated prescriptive authority by supervising physicians. A recent legislative change added PAs to the ACN provision for the first time. However, many ACN applicants were from Puerto Rico, where PAs do not have prescriptive authority or pharmacology training. On June 13, the Board proposed a rule stating that ACN-licensed PAs may not be given prescriptive authority. At the same time, new legislation (HB 1299) was passed to specify that an ACN license is limited to those holding a valid U.S. state license.
The Surgical Care and Quality Assurance Committee reviewed repeat deficiencies found during office surgery inspections at its April and June meetings. Many registrants corrected problems such as incomplete crash cart supplies but were cited again for the same issues in later inspections. This pattern led to questions about accountability and enforcement effectiveness. The Committee recommended a joint session with the Board of Osteopathic Medicine for regulatory consistency and considered adopting an enforcement policy similar to that used by the Board of Pharmacy: repeated failures on the same deficiency would automatically result in an administrative complaint.
The Mobile Opportunity by Interstate Licensure Endorsement (MOBILE) Act aimed to make licensure easier for health professionals moving between states but ended up restricting qualified practitioners’ ability to work in Florida by removing specific endorsement statutes for each profession. The MOBILE Act also barred newly licensed residents from practicing in Florida for three years, which raised concerns about recruiting new doctors. In response, collaboration among the FMA, Board of Medicine, and specialty societies led to amendments reducing this waiting period from three years to two and allowing residency training as qualifying active practice.
The Agency for Health Care Administration’s (AHCA) Graduate Medical Education (GME) Committee was established by 2024 legislation to assess how state investments affect Florida’s physician workforce and produce annual reports with recommendations. After initial meetings focused on committee structure and workforce challenges—such as an expected significant decline in obstetricians—the Legislature eliminated the GME Committee just months after its creation. It is uncertain if AHCA will release any committee reports.
On March 13, the Physician Workforce Advisory Council met with experts including Medicaid Chief Medical Officer Chris Cogle and representatives from the Council of Florida Medical School Deans (CFMSD). Panelists discussed GME program performance and ways to improve physician recruitment and retention in Florida. They noted progress made through programs like Slots for Docs—which expanded GME slots—and FRAME loan repayment assistance; both initiatives were created through FMA advocacy efforts.
Financial barriers remain significant for establishing new GME programs due to costs like faculty development and rising living expenses in parts of Florida, which can discourage physicians from working or training locally.
FMA members seeking more information on regulatory matters can contact legal@flmedical.org or call (850) 224-6496.
“Both the Slots for Docs and FRAME programs were created and funded through successful FMA legislative advocacy.”
Mary Thomas, Esq., executive director of CFMSD who previously served as assistant general counsel at FMA, continues representing FMA before state regulatory boards.
