A bill known as the Health Care Practitioner Titles and Designations bill is headed to the desk of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis this week, according to a May 16 report from ABC affiliate WPBF.
The bill would require all practitioners to wear name tags that include their profession when located inside a medical office.
Any type of advertisement for a practice or practitioner must also include the physician's educational degree.
Additionally, the bill sets guidelines on who can be referred to as a "physician," meaning certain specialists, including optometrists, would not be able to be classified as physicians.
Specialists including anesthesiologists, neurologists, psychiatrists and endocrinologists would be allowed to retain the physician title.
The American Optometric Association put out a statement opposing the bill, saying that it will "vigorously oppose any attempt to prevent Florida-licensed doctors of optometry from legally practicing at the highest levels allowed by state and federal law, including their ability to effectively communicate with their patients by introducing unnecessary confusion. The proposed legislation undermines the doctor-patient relationship that will, in turn, jeopardize patient outcomes."
Republican Sen. Gayle Harrell, a sponsor of the bill, said it's about "informing patients and about transparency. We want to make sure that patients understand who is treating them."
If signed by Mr. DeSantis, the new rules will go into effect on July 1.