Florida Statutes 463.0141 – Reports of adverse incidents in the practice of optometry
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(1) Effective January 1, 2014, an adverse incident occurring in the practice of optometry must be reported to the department in accordance with this section.
(2) The required notification must be in writing and submitted to the department by certified mail. The required notification must be postmarked within 15 days after the adverse incident if the adverse incident occurs when the patient is at the office of the licensed practitioner. If the adverse incident occurs when the patient is not at the office of the licensed practitioner, the required notification must be postmarked within 15 days after the licensed practitioner discovers, or reasonably should have discovered, the occurrence of the adverse incident.
(3) For purposes of notification to the department, the term “adverse incident,” as used in this section, means any of the following events when it is reasonable to believe that the event is attributable to the prescription of an oral ocular pharmaceutical agent by the licensed practitioner:
(a) Any condition that requires the transfer of a patient to a hospital licensed under chapter 395.
Terms Used In Florida Statutes 463.0141
- Board: means the Board of Optometry. See Florida Statutes 463.002
- Department: means the Department of Health. See Florida Statutes 463.002
- Licensed practitioner: means a person who is a primary health care provider licensed to engage in the practice of optometry under the authority of this chapter. See Florida Statutes 463.002
- Ocular pharmaceutical agent: means a pharmaceutical agent that is administered topically or orally for the diagnosis or treatment of ocular conditions of the human eye and its appendages without the use of surgery or other invasive techniques. See Florida Statutes 463.002
- Optometry: means the diagnosis of conditions of the human eye and its appendages; the employment of any objective or subjective means or methods, including the administration of ocular pharmaceutical agents, for the purpose of determining the refractive powers of the human eyes, or any visual, muscular, neurological, or anatomic anomalies of the human eyes and their appendages; and the prescribing and employment of lenses, prisms, frames, mountings, contact lenses, orthoptic exercises, light frequencies, and any other means or methods, including ocular pharmaceutical agents, for the correction, remedy, or relief of any insufficiencies or abnormal conditions of the human eyes and their appendages. See Florida Statutes 463.002
- writing: includes handwriting, printing, typewriting, and all other methods and means of forming letters and characters upon paper, stone, wood, or other materials. See Florida Statutes 1.01
(b) Any condition that requires the patient to obtain care from a physician licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459, other than a referral or a consultation required under this chapter.
(c) Permanent physical injury to the patient.
(d) Partial or complete permanent loss of sight by the patient.
(e) Death of the patient.
(4) The department shall review each incident and determine whether it potentially involved conduct by the licensed practitioner who may be subject to disciplinary action, in which event s. 456.073 applies. Disciplinary action, if any, shall be taken by the board.