Telephone Medical Advice Services
Cal. BPC § 4999.2
California Statutes
A telephone medical advice service shall be responsible for complying with the following requirements: (a)
(1) Ensuring that all health care professionals who provide medical advice services are appropriately licensed, certified, or registered as a physician and surgeon pursuant to
Chapter 5 (commencing with
Section 2000) or the Osteopathic Initiative Act, as a dentist, dental hygienist, dental hygienist in alternative practice, or dental hygienist in extended functions pursuant to
Chapter 4 (commencing with
Section 1600), as an occupational therapist pursuant to
Chapter 5.6 (commencing with
Section 2570), as a registered nurse pursuant to
Chapter 6 (commencing with
Section 2700), as a psychologist pursuant to
Chapter 6.6 (commencing with
Section 2900), as a naturopathic doctor pursuant to
Chapter 8.2 (commencing with
Section 3610), as a marriage and family therapist pursuant to
Chapter 13 (commencing with
Section 4980), as a licensed clinical social worker pursuant to
Chapter 14 (commencing with
Section 4991), as a licensed professional clinical counselor pursuant to
Chapter 16 (commencing with
Section 4999.10), as an optometrist pursuant to
Chapter 7 (commencing with
Section 3000), or as a chiropractor pursuant to the Chiropractic Initiative Act, and operating consistent with the laws governing their respective scopes of practice in the state within which they provide telephone medical advice services, except as provided in subdivision (b).
(2) Ensuring that all health care professionals who provide telephone medical advice services from an out-of-state location, as identified in paragraph (1), are licensed, registered, or certified in the state within which they are providing the telephone medical advice services and are operating consistent with the laws governing their respective licenses and scopes of practice. (
b) Ensuring that the telephone medical advice provided is consistent with good professional practice. (
c) Maintaining records of telephone medical advice services, including records of complaints, provided to patients in California for a period of at least five years. (
d) Ensuring that no staff member uses a title or designation when speaking to an enrollee, subscriber, or consumer that may cause a reasonable person to believe that the staff member is a licensed, certified, or registered health care professional described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a), unless the staff member is a licensed, certified, or registered professional. (
e) Complying with all directions and requests for information made by the Department of Consumer Affairs and respective healing arts licensing boards.