Florida SB 844: Excess Credit Hour Surcharges

Bill Text

844 
Sickle Cell Disease Care Management and Treatment Continuing Education 
2026-03-18T04:28:02Z 
Revising requirements for a continuing education course on prescribing controlled substances which health care practitioners are required to complete, etc. 
ENROLLED 
2026 
S 
2026-07-01T00:00:00Z 
GB 
General Bill 
er 

 ENROLLED 
 2026 Legislature CS for SB 844 

 2026844er 
 1 
 2 An act relating to sickle cell disease care management 
 3 and treatment continuing education; amending s. 
 4 456.0301, F.S.; revising requirements for a continuing 
 5 education course on prescribing controlled substances 
 6 which health care practitioners are required to 
 7 complete; providing an effective date. 
 8 
 9 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
 10 
 11 Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section 
 12 456.0301, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 
 13 456.0301 Requirement for instruction on controlled 
 14 substance prescribing.— 
 15 (1)(a) The appropriate board shall require each person 
 16 registered with the United States Drug Enforcement 
 17 Administration and authorized to prescribe controlled substances 
 18 pursuant to 21 U.S.C. s. 822 to complete a board-approved 2-hour 
 19 continuing education course on prescribing controlled substances 
 20 offered by a statewide professional association of physicians in 
 21 this state that is accredited to provide educational activities 
 22 designated for the American Medical Association Physician’s 
 23 Recognition Award Category 1 Credit or the American Osteopathic 
 24 Category 1-A continuing medical education credit as part of 
 25 biennial license renewal. The course must include information on 
 26 the current standards for prescribing controlled substances, 
 27 particularly opiates; alternatives to these standards; 
 28 nonpharmacological therapies; prescribing emergency opioid 
 29 antagonists; and the risks of opioid addiction following all 
 30 stages of treatment in the management of acute pain; and the 
 31 treatment of pain for patients with sickle cell disease. The 
 32 course may be offered in a distance learning format and must be 
 33 included within the number of continuing education hours 
 34 required by law. The department may not renew the license of any 
 35 prescriber registered with the United States Drug Enforcement 
 36 Administration to prescribe controlled substances who has failed 
 37 to complete the course. The course must be completed by January 
 38 31, 2019, and at each subsequent renewal. This paragraph does 
 39 not apply to a licensee who is required by his or her applicable 
 40 practice act to complete a minimum of 2 hours of continuing 
 41 education on the safe and effective prescribing of controlled 
 42 substances. 
 43 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.