How to Get a Florida Telemedicine License
Want to Expand Your Practice Across State Lines?
You should already know that you can't practice medicine across state lines unless you are licensed where the patient is located. Doing so can subject you to civil and criminal liability and monetary fines for engaging in the unauthorized practice of medicine.
But today I have great news for you the conscientious provider who wants to expand your practice safely:
In 2019, the state of Florida passed a law allowing out-of-state providers to practice telemedicine in Florida.
Florida number 3 when it comes to population size with over 21.7 million residents (read: 21.7 potential new patients for your practice).
All you have to do is register with the state of Florida through the department of health and follow a few basic rules that are pretty easy, and you can start seeing Florida patients. And most importantly, you're doing it all legally.
You will have a valid license to practice telemedicine in Florida after a very simple application process.
I even created a step-by-step guide to help you with the process.
You can go download the PDF guide today, follow the instructions, and soon you will be registered to practice telemedicine in Florida.
PDF Guide: The Six-Step Process to Register as a Telemedicine Provider in Florida
This guide is absolutely free. It doesn't cost anything, and it walks you through the entire process.
Determining Eligibility
Numerous providers are eligible for this. It's not just for MDs, or DOs, or similarly licensed individuals. It goes from that level all the way down to physical therapists and almost everyone in between. If you want to check that your license is eligible to do this, then you fill out the application on the state website, get your license verified from your own state, and then get a registered agent. It’s very easy to do. Go there, download the PDF at functionallawyer.com/florida.
FAQs Regarding Registration
You may have additional questions, such as, “Is the state going to require that I have a registered agent in the state of Florida?” (Yes.)
A “registered agent” is a person that is physically present in the state. It does not need to be a lawyer or any other professional. It just needs to be an individual human being with a physical address so that everybody knows how to deliver formal documents and standard legal notices to your company.
Your next question may be, “How do I find a registered agent in Florida?” There are a lot of services that provide this. It doesn't need to be a lawyer; it doesn't even need to be anybody that's a professional. It can be your friend who lives in Miami or anything like that. A general requirement is that the registered agent should be available at that address for a couple of hours a day, usually during business hours.
What I normally tell people is to Google "registered agent services in Florida" and five or six companies appear that are available for somewhere between $50 and $100 a year. There are whole companies that do this. LegalZoom, ZenBusiness, and IncFile, for example, are three of the bigger names that provide this service, and it's that simple.
Then you want to also make sure that once you get your application in and you're approved, you follow the rules-- very minimum rules to stay eligible. You also want to make sure you're using your Telemedicine Consent Form, not just in Florida, but for any telemedicine encounters in any state. If you don't have a consent form, you can get one here.
From our blog: "Why You Need to Use a Telemedicine Consent"
And, Finally…
Come, fill up your practice with some of our patients here in Florida. And you can sleep well knowing that you've done it legally, that you are doing things the right way, and that you have an actual license that gives you authority to practice telemedicine in Florida.
Scott Rattigan is an attorney, co-founder of a thriving functional medicine membership practice, and the founder of Functional Lawyer. He is an award-winning writer and speaker who is dedicated to helping functional and integrative medicine doctors succeed in building their dream practice.
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