As used in this part, the term:
(1) “Agency” means the Agency for Health Care Administration.
(2) “Board” means the Board of Orthotists and Prosthetists.
(3) “Department” means the Department of Health.
(4) “Internship” means a program in which a person receives clinical experience under the supervision of a licensed orthotist or prosthetist as defined by the board by rule.
(5) “Mandatory courses” means continuing education courses that the board has defined by rule and required for license issuance or renewal. Notwithstanding s. 456.013(7), the board shall require completion of a 1-hour course relating to the prevention of medical errors as a part of the licensure issuance and biennial renewal process. The 1-hour medical errors course counts toward the total number of continuing education hours required. The course must be approved by the board, be developed specifically for the field of orthotics and prosthetics, and include a study of root-cause analysis, error reduction and prevention, patient safety, and medical records.
(6) “Orthosis” means any medical device used to provide support, correction, or alleviation of neuromuscular or musculoskeletal dysfunction, disease, injury, or deformity but does not include the following assistive technology devices: upper extremity adaptive equipment used to facilitate the activities of daily living, including specialized utensils, combs, and brushes; finger splints; wheelchair seating and equipment that is an integral part of the wheelchair and not worn by the patient; elastic abdominal supports that do not have metal or plastic reinforcing stays; nontherapeutic arch supports; nontherapeutic accommodative inlays and nontherapeutic accommodative footwear, regardless of method of manufacture; unmodified, over-the-counter nontherapeutic shoes; prefabricated nontherapeutic foot care products; durable medical equipment such as canes, crutches, or walkers; dental appliances; or devices implanted into the body by a physician. For purposes of this subsection, “accommodative” means designed with the primary goal of conforming to the individual’s anatomy, “inlay” means any removable material upon which the foot directly rests inside the shoe and which may be an integral design component of the shoe, and “musculoskeletal” and “neuromuscular” mean the systems of the body providing support and movement and include the skeletal, muscular, circulatory, nervous, and integumentary systems.
(7) “Orthotic fitter” means a person who is licensed to practice orthotics whose scope of practice is limited to fitting prefabricated cervical orthoses not requiring more than minor modification and not used for the treatment of cervical fractures or dislocations; custom-made and prefabricated compression garments; trusses; custom-molded and noncustom diabetic therapeutic footwear; prefabricated corset or frame-type spinal orthoses, except for those used in the treatment of vertebral fractures or scoliosis, rigid body jackets made of thermoformable materials, and “halo” devices; and prefabricated orthoses of the upper and lower extremities, except for those used in the treatment of bone fractures and open diabetic ulcers.
(8) “Orthotic fitter assistant” means a person who is licensed to practice orthotics whose scope of practice is limited to fitting, without modification, prefabricated soft cervical orthoses not used for the treatment of cervical fractures or dislocations; prefabricated soft spinal supports not used for treatment of vertebral fractures; prefabricated compression garments; trusses; and soft prefabricated orthoses for the upper and lower extremities not used in the treatment of bone fractures and open diabetic ulcers.
(9) “Orthotics” means the practice of evaluating, treatment formulating, measuring, designing, fabricating, assembling, fitting, adjusting, servicing, or providing the initial training necessary to accomplish the fitting of an orthosis or pedorthic device.
(10) “Orthotist” means a person licensed to practice orthotics pursuant to this chapter.
(11) “Pedorthic device” means therapeutic shoes, shoe modifications made for therapeutic purposes, nondynamic prosthetic fillers of the forefoot, and foot orthoses for use on the human foot limited anatomically to that part distal to the maleoli.
(12) “Pedorthics” means the practice of evaluating, treatment formulating, measuring, designing, fabricating, assembling, fitting, adjusting, servicing, or providing the initial training necessary to accomplish the fitting of a pedorthic device.
(13) “Pedorthist” means a person licensed to practice pedorthics pursuant to this chapter.
(14) “Prosthesis” means a medical device used to replace a missing appendage or other external body part, including an artificial limb, hand, or foot. It does not include surgically implanted devices or artificial eyes; dental appliances; ostomy products; or cosmetic devices such as breast prostheses, eyelashes, or wigs.
(15) “Prosthetics” means the practice of evaluating, treatment formulating, measuring, designing, fabricating, assembling, fitting, adjusting, servicing, or providing the initial training necessary to accomplish the fitting of a prosthesis.
(16) “Prosthetist” means a person licensed to practice prosthetics pursuant to this chapter.
(17) “Prosthetist-orthotist” means a person licensed to practice as a prosthetist and as an orthotist.
(18) “Resident” means a person registered to practice orthotics or prosthetics under the supervision of a licensed orthotist or prosthetist as defined by the board by rule.
(19) “Therapeutic” means designed and fabricated to provide support, correction, or alleviation of neuromuscular or musculoskeletal dysfunction, disease, injury, or deformity. It does not include devices used solely to increase comfort through the use of soft materials or spreading out of forces.