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Florida Senate
-
2026
CS for SB 914
By
the Committee on Health Policy; and Senator Calatayud
588-02423-26 2026914c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to dry needling; amending s. 468.203,
3 F.S.; defining the terms “dry needling” and
4 “myofascial trigger point”; creating s. 468.222, F.S.;
5 requiring the Board of Occupational Therapy to
6 establish minimum standards of practice for the
7 performance of dry needling by occupational
8 therapists, including specified standards; requiring
9 the board, if it deems it necessary for patient
10 safety, to adopt additional supervision and training
11 requirements for occupational therapists to perform
12 dry needling on specified areas; requiring the
13 Department of Health to submit a report of specified
14 information to the Legislature by a specified date;
15 providing construction; providing an effective date.
16
17 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
18
19 Section 1. Present subsections (3) through (8) of section
20 468.203, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as subsections (5)
21 through (10), respectively, and new subsections (3) and (4) are
22 added to that section, to read:
23 468.203 Definitions.—As used in this act, the term:
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(3) “Dry needling” means a skilled intervention, based on
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Western medicine, that uses filiform needles and other apparatus
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or equipment to stimulate a myofascial trigger point for the
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evaluation and management of neuromusculoskeletal conditions,
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pain, movement impairments, and disabilities.
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(
4
) “Myofascial trigger point” means an irritable section
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of soft tissue often associated with palpable nodules in taut
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bands of muscle fibers.
32 Section 2. Section 468.222, Florida Statutes, is created to
33 read:
34
468.222
Dry needling
.—
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(1) The board shall establish minimum standards of practice
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for the performance of dry needling by occupational therapists,
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including, at a minimum, all of the following:
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(a) Completion of 2 years of licensed practice as an
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occupational therapist.
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(b) Completion of 50 hours of face-to-face continuing
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education from an entity approved by the board on the topic of
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dry needling. To satisfy this requirement, the instructor of the
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continuing education must make a determination that the
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occupational therapist demonstrates the requisite psychomotor
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skills to safely perform dry needling. The continuing education
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must include instruction in all of the following areas:
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1.
Theory of dry needling.
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2.
Selection and safe handling of needles and other
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apparatus or equipment used in dry needling, including
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instruction on the proper handling of biohazardous waste.
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3.
Indications and contraindications for dry needling.
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4.
Psychomotor skills needed to safely perform dry
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needling.
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5.
Postintervention care, including care for adverse
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responses, adverse incident recordkeeping, and any reporting
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obligations.
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(c)1.
Completion of at least 25 patient sessions of dry
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needling performed under the supervision of an occupational
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therapist, a physical therapist, or a chiropractic physician who
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holds an active license to practice in any state or the District
61
of Columbia and has actively performed dry needling for at least
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1 year. The supervising practitioner must document that the
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occupational therapist under his or her supervision has met the
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supervision and competency requirements specified by board rule
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and does not need additional supervised sessions to safely
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perform dry needling; or
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2.
Completion of 25 patient sessions of dry needling
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performed as an occupational therapist, physical therapist, or
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chiropractic physician licensed in another state or in the
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United States Armed Forces.
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(d)
A requirement that dry needling be performed only if
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the patient consents to the treatment and it is part of the
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patient’s documented plan of care.
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(e)
A requirement prohibiting the delegation of dry
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needling to any person other than an occupational therapist who
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is authorized to perform dry needling under this part.
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(2)
The board shall establish additional supervision and
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training requirements that an occupational therapist must meet
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before performing dry needling on the head, neck, or torso if
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the board deems such requirements necessary for patient safety.
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(3)
The Department of Health shall, within existing
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resources, submit
a report to the President of the Senate and
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the Speaker of the House of Representatives on or before
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December 31, 2028, detailing the total number of occupational
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therapists licensed in this state, the number of occupational
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therapists who perform dry needling in this state, any increases
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or decreases in the number of occupational therapists in th
is
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state by geographic area, and the number of any adverse
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incidents, as defined by board rule, involving the performance
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of dry needling by occupational therapists in this state.
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(4) The performance of dry needling in the practice of
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occupational therapy may not be construed to limit the scope of
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practice of other licensed health care practitioners not
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governed by this chapter.
95 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.