Is it time to retain your fingerprints?
By Mary Thomas, Esq., FMA Assistant General Counsel | Dec. 14, 2023
Every physician who applies for licensure in Florida on or after January 1, 2013 must submit to the Department of Health a set of fingerprints as part of the background screening process. Once the fingerprints are submitted, the information is stored in Florida’s Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse. The stored fingerprints must be retained by the licensee every five years.

All physicians licensed prior to January 1, 2013 are exempt from this requirement.
Note: This requirement will not run with the licensure renewal cycle, but every five years from the date the fingerprints were first submitted and subsequently retained.
The Department will notify physicians by mail and e-mail approximately 60 days in advance of the retention deadline. If the fingerprints are not retained, the information will be automatically deleted, and a new set of fingerprints will have to be submitted. Unfortunately, there is no way to extend the retention window. Once the information has been deleted, failure to submit new fingerprints within 30 days of notification will result in disciplinary action.

To see if it is time to retain your fingerprints, you may access the Clearinghouse Applicant Initiated (CHAI) Website at any time. More information about fingerprint retention requirements is available here.