(a) (1) A health care practitioner licensed under Division 2 (commencing with Section 500) shall communicate to a patient his or her name, state-granted practitioner license type, and highest level of academic degree, by one or both of the following methods:

(A) In writing at the patient’s initial office visit.

(B) In a prominent display in an area visible to patients in his or her office.

(2) An individual licensed under Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 2700) or Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 4000) is not required to disclose the highest level of academic degree he or she holds.

(b) A person licensed under Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 2000) or under the Osteopathic Act, who is certified by (1) an American Board of Medical Specialties member board, (2) a board or association with requirements equivalent to a board described in paragraph (1) approved by that person’s medical licensing authority, or (3) a board or association with an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education approved postgraduate training program that provides complete training in the person’s specialty or subspecialty, shall disclose the name of the board or association by either method described in subdivision (a).

(c) A health care practitioner who chooses to disclose the information required by subdivisions (a) and (b) pursuant to subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) shall present that information in at least 24-point type in the following format:

HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONER INFORMATION

1. Name and license ........................ .

2. Highest level of academic degree ........................ .

3. Board certification (ABMS/MBC) ........................ .

(d) This section shall not apply to the following health care practitioners:

(1) A person who provides professional medical services to enrollees of a health care service plan that exclusively contracts with a single medical group in a specific geographic area to provide or arrange for professional medical services for the enrollees of the plan.

(2) A person who works in a facility licensed under Section 1250 of the Health and Safety Code or in a clinical laboratory licensed under Section 1265.

(3) A person licensed under Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 1200), Chapter 7.5 (commencing with Section 3300), Chapter 8.3 (commencing with Section 3700), Chapter 11 (commencing with Section 4800), Chapter 13 (commencing with Section 4980), Chapter 14 (commencing with Section 4990.1), or Chapter 16 (commencing with Section 4999.10).

(e) A health care practitioner, who provides information regarding health care services on an Internet Web site that is directly controlled or administered by that health care practitioner or his or her office personnel, shall prominently display on that Internet Web site the information required by this section.

(Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 381, Sec. 5. (SB 146) Effective January 1, 2012.)