“Telephone medical advice service” means any business entity that employs, or contracts or subcontracts, directly or indirectly, with, the full-time equivalent of five or more persons functioning as health care professionals, whose primary function is to provide telephone medical advice, that provides telephone medical advice services to a patient at a California address. “Telephone medical advice service” does not include a medical group that operates in multiple locations in California if no more than five full-time equivalent persons at any one location perform telephone medical advice services and those persons limit the telephone medical advice services to patients being treated at that location.
Chapter 15Telephone Medical Advice Services
Section § 4999
This section defines what a "telephone medical advice service" is. It's a business that hires or engages with at least five full-time health care professionals to give medical advice over the phone to patients located in California. However, it excludes medical groups with multiple locations if each location has five or fewer such professionals and they only provide advice to patients treated at their specific location.
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Section § 4999.2
Telephone medical advice services in California must ensure that all professionals giving advice are properly licensed or certified for their specific field, whether they are physicians, nurses, psychologists, or other health professionals. If advice is given from outside the state, those professionals must also be licensed according to the laws of their location. The advice provided should meet professional standards, and records of these services and any complaints must be kept for at least five years. No staff member should use misleading titles that could imply they are licensed if they are not. These services must also comply with any requests for information from relevant regulatory boards.
A telephone medical advice service shall be responsible for complying with the following requirements:
(a)Copy CA Business and Professions Code § 4999.2(a)
(1)Copy CA Business and Professions Code § 4999.2(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)CA Business and Professions Code § 4999.2(a)(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)CA Business and Professions Code § 4999.2(b) Ensuring that the telephone medical advice provided is consistent with good professional practice.
(c)CA Business and Professions Code § 4999.2(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)CA Business and Professions Code § 4999.2(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)CA Business and Professions Code § 4999.2(e) Complying with all directions and requests for information made by the Department of Consumer Affairs and respective healing arts licensing boards.
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Section § 4999.5
The organizations that issue licenses to healthcare professionals in California are in charge of making sure that rules about giving medical advice over the phone are followed.
The respective healing arts licensing boards shall be responsible for enforcing this chapter and any other laws and regulations affecting California licensed health care professionals providing telephone medical advice services.
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Section § 4999.7
This section clarifies that it does not interfere with other professionals who are legally allowed to provide telephone medical advice under different laws. 'Telephone medical advice' is defined as phone interactions where health professionals respond to medical questions or give advice to patients or their families. Those offering phone advice must be qualified and licensed in their field, as stipulated by various chapters of the division, such as dentists, physicians, nurses, and other specified healthcare roles. Each must work within their legal scope of practice when providing these services over the phone.
(a)CA Business and Professions Code § 4999.7(a) This section does not limit, preclude, or otherwise interfere with the practices of other persons licensed or otherwise authorized to practice, under any other provision of this division, telephone medical advice services consistent with the laws governing their respective scopes of practice, or licensed under the Osteopathic Initiative Act or the Chiropractic Initiative Act and operating consistent with the laws governing their respective scopes of practice.
(b)CA Business and Professions Code § 4999.7(b) For purposes of this chapter, “telephone medical advice” means a telephonic communication between a patient and a health care professional in which the health care professional’s primary function is to provide to the patient a telephonic response to the
patient’s questions regarding his or her or a family member’s medical care or treatment. “Telephone medical advice” includes assessment, evaluation, or advice provided to patients or their family members.
(c)CA Business and Professions Code § 4999.7(c) For purposes of this chapter, “health care professional” is an employee or independent contractor described in Section 4999.2 who provides medical advice services and is appropriately licensed, certified, or registered 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 a physician and surgeon pursuant to Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 2000) or the Osteopathic Initiative Act, 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 an
optometrist pursuant to Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 3000), 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), or as a chiropractor pursuant to the Chiropractic Initiative Act, and who is operating consistent with the laws governing his or her respective scopes of practice in the state in which he or she provides telephone medical advice services.
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