Oklahoma 2022 2022 Regular Session

Oklahoma Senate Bill SB497 Introduced / Bill

Filed 01/19/2021

                     
 
 
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STATE OF OKLAHOMA 
 
1st Session of the 58th Legislature (2021) 
 
SENATE BILL 497 	By: McCortney 
 
 
 
 
 
AS INTRODUCED 
 
An Act relating to the healing arts; defin ing terms; 
requiring health care provider s to use certain titles 
in advertisements and professional identifications ; 
limiting certain disclosures; prohibiting certain 
advertisements; requiring display of license and 
certain identification; prohibiting certain use of 
titles; amending 59 O.S. 2011, Section 492, as 
amended by Section 1, Chapter 40, O.S.L. 2016 (59 
O.S. Supp. 2020, Section 492) , which relates to the 
practice of medicine; adding terms whose use 
constitute practice of medicine; modifying definition 
of practice of medicine and surgery ; amending 59 O.S. 
2011, Sections 725.2, 731.2 and 731.3, which relate 
to use of titles of the healing arts; modifying 
certain provisions to include medical specialty 
titles; updating language; providing gender -neutral 
language; providing for codification; an d providing 
an effective date. 
 
 
 
 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: 
SECTION 1.     NEW LAW     A new section of law to be codified 
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 6006 of Title 59, unless there 
is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows: 
A.  As used in this section: 
1.  “Advertisement” means a communication, whether printed, 
electronic or oral, that names a health care provider and the   
 
 
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practice, profession o r institution in which the provider is 
employed, volunteers or otherwise provides health care services.  
Advertisement includes business cards, letterhead, patient 
brochures, e-mail, Internet, audio and video communic ations and any 
other communication; and 
2. “Deceptive or misleading terms or false representations ” 
includes, but is not limite d to, use of titles, terms or other words 
that misstates, falsely describes, falsely holds out or falsely 
details the health car e provider’s professional skills, train ing, 
expertise, education, board certi fication or licensure. 
B.  Health care providers shall use the following license titles 
in advertisements and in professional identifications : 
1. A medical doctor or doctor of osteopathy shall use any of 
the following titles: 
a. “physician”, “doctor of medicine”, “medical doctor”, 
“M.D.”, or “doctor of osteopathic medicine”, “doctor 
of osteopathy”, “osteopathic physician ” or “D.O.”, or 
b. a specialist designation, if certified by the American 
Board of Medical Specialti es or an American 
Osteopathic Associat ion certifying board or if board-
eligible including “surgeon”, “dermatologist”, 
“anesthesiologist”, or a similar title; 
2. A Registered Nurse shall only use the titles “Registered 
Nurse” or “R.N.”;   
 
 
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3. A Licensed Practical Nurse shall only use the titles 
“Licensed Practical Nurse” or “L.P.N.”; 
4. An Advanced Practice Registered Nurse shall only use the 
titles “Advanced Practice Registered Nurse ” or “APRN”, and one of 
the following role titles: 
a. for a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, 
“Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist” or “CRNA”, 
b. for a Clinical Nurse Specialist, “Clinical Nurse 
Specialist” or “CNS”, 
c. for a Certified Nurse Practitioner, “Certified Nurse 
Practitioner” or “CNP”, or 
d. for a Certified Nurse-Midwife, “Certified Nurse-
Midwife” or “CNM”; 
5. A physician assistant shall only use the titles “physician 
assistant” or “P.A.”; and 
6. Any other health care practitioner shall use the appropriate 
title as indicated by the applicable statute. 
C.  An advertisement by a health care provide r shall disclose 
only the applicable license, as provided in this section and by the 
applicable statute, under which the health care provider is 
authorized to provide services.  The advertisement: 
1. Shall not include deceptive or misleading terms or fals e 
representations; and   
 
 
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2. Shall include the health care provider’s name and the type 
of license the provider holds, as provided in this section and by 
the applicable statute, for the provider’s profession. 
D. 1. A health care provider shall display a copy of the 
provider’s license in a prominent place in an office area visible to 
current and prospective patients. If the health care provider sees 
patients in a setting outside of a licensed health care facility, 
the copy must be of sufficient size to be v isible and apparent to 
patients, except that a copy no smaller than the original license is 
deemed to be sufficient . 
2. A health care provider seeing patients on a face -to-face 
basis shall wear a name badge or some ot her form of identification 
that clearly discloses: 
a. the health care provider ’s name, 
b. the type of license, registration or certification the 
health care provider holds, as provided in this 
section and by the applicable statute, for the health 
care provider’s profession, and 
c. the health care provider’s medical staff position, if 
applicable. 
E. Except as provided in Section 725.2 of Title 59 of the 
Oklahoma Statutes, a person shall not u se, imply the use of, or 
publicly display a title in connection wi th a person’s name 
including “physician”, “doctor” or “surgeon” or any similar title or   
 
 
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description of services, or any other words, letters or 
abbreviations or any co mbination thereof with the intent to 
represent, or that imply, that the per son practices medicine. 
Unless authorized to practi ce medicine by the State Board of Medical 
Licensure and Supervision or the State Board of Os teopathic 
Examiners, a person shall not u se, imply the use of, or publicly 
display a title in connection with a person ’s name including “doctor 
of medicine”, “medical doctor”, “M.D.”, “osteopath”, “doctor of 
osteopathic medicine”, “doctor of osteopathy”, “osteopathic 
physician”, “D.O.”, “anesthesiologist”, “cardiologist”, 
“dermatologist”, “endocrinologist”, “gastroenterologist”, “general 
practitioner”, “gynecologist”, “hematologist”, “internist”, 
“laryngologist”, “nephrologist”, “neurologist”, “obstetrician”, 
“oncologist”, “ophthalmologist”, “orthopedic surgeon”, 
“orthopedist”, “otologist”, “otolaryngologist”, 
“otorhinolaryngologist”, “pathologist”, “pediatrician”, “primary 
care physician”, “proctologist”, “psychiatrist”, “radiologist”, 
“rheumatologist”, “rhinologist”, “urologist” or any similar title or 
description of services, or any other words, letters or 
abbreviations or any c ombination thereof with the intent to 
represent, or that imply, that the per son practices medicine. 
SECTION 2.     AMENDATORY     59 O.S. 2011, Section 492, as 
amended by Section 1, Chapter 40, O.S.L. 2016 (59 O.S. Supp. 2020, 
Section 492), is amended to read as follows:   
 
 
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Section 492. A.  Every person shall be regarded as practicing 
allopathic medicine within the meaning and provisions of this act 
the Oklahoma Allopathic Medical and Surgical Licensure an d 
Supervision Act, who shall append to his or h er name the letters 
“M.D.”, “Physician”, “Surgeon”, “Doctor”, “doctor of medicine”, 
“medical doctor”, “anesthesiologist”, “cardiologist”, 
“dermatologist”, “endocrinologist”, “gastroenterologist”, “general 
practitioner”, “gynecologist”, “hematologist”, “internist”, 
“laryngologist”, “nephrologist”, “neurologist”, “obstetrician”, 
“oncologist”, “ophthalmologist”, “orthopedic surgeon”, 
“orthopedist”, “otologist”, “otolaryngologist”, 
“otorhinolaryngologist ”, “pathologist”, “pediatrician”, “primary 
care physician”, “proctologist”, “psychiatrist”, “radiologist”, 
“rheumatologist”, “rhinologist”, “urologist” or any other title, 
letters, description of ser vices or designation, either alone or in 
connection with other wor ds, which represent that such person is a 
physician, or who shall for a fee o r any form of compensation 
diagnose and/or or treat disease, injury or def ormity of persons in 
this state by any allopathic legend drugs, surgery, manual, or 
mechanical treatment unless otherwise authorized by law. 
B.  A hospital or related institution as such terms are defined 
in Section 1-701 of Title 63 of the Oklahoma Statut es, which has the 
principal purpose or function of providing hospital or medical care , 
including but not limited to any corporation, association, trust, or   
 
 
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other organization organiz ed and operated for such purpose, m ay 
employ one or more persons who are d uly licensed to practice 
medicine in this state without being regarded as itself practicing 
medicine within the meaning and provisions of this section.  Th e 
employment by the hospita l or related institution of any per son who 
is duly licensed to practice me dicine in this state shall not, in 
and of itself, be considered as an act of unprofessional conduct by 
the person so employed.  Nothing provided herein sha ll eliminate, 
limit, or restrict the liability for any act or failure to act of 
any hospital, any hos pital’s employees, or persons duly lice nsed to 
practice medicine. 
C.  The definition of the practice of medicine and surgery shall 
include, but is not limi ted to: 
1.  Advertising, holding out to the public, or represe nting in 
any manner that one is authori zed to practice medicine and surgery 
in this state; 
2.  Any offer or attempt to prescribe, order, give, or 
administer any drug or medicine and surgery for the use of any other 
person, except as otherwise authorized by law; 
3. a. any offer or attempt, excep t as otherwise authorized 
by law, to prevent, diagnose, correct, or treat in any 
manner or by any means, methods, devises, or 
instrumentalities except for manual manipulation any 
disease, illness, pain, wound, fractur e, infirmity,   
 
 
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defect, or abnormal physi cal or mental condition of 
any person, including the management of pregnancy and 
parturition, except as otherwise authorized by law, 
b. except as provided in subsection D of this sec tion, 
performance by a person withi n or outside of this 
state, through an ongoing regular arrangement, of 
diagnostic or treatment services , including but not 
limited to, stroke prevention and treatment, through 
electronic communications for any patient who se 
condition is being diagnosed or treated within this 
state by a physician duly licensed and practicing in 
this state.  A person who performs any of the 
functions covered by this subparagraph submits himself 
or herself to the ju risdiction of the courts of this 
state for the purposes of any cause of action 
resulting from the fun ctions performed, and 
c. nothing in the Oklahoma Allopathic Medical and 
Surgical Licensure and Supervision Act shall be 
construed to affect or give jurisdi ction to the Board 
over any person other than medical doctors or persons 
holding themselves out as me dical doctors; 
4.  Any offer or attempt to perform any surgical operation upon 
any person, except as otherwise authorized by law; and   
 
 
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5.  The use of the ti tle Doctor, Doctor of Medicine, Physician, 
Surgeon, Physician and Surg eon, Dr., M.D. or any of the medical 
specialty titles listed in subsec tion A of this section, or any 
combination thereof, in the conduct of any occupation or profession 
pertaining to the prevent ion, diagnosis, or treatment of human 
disease or condition unless, where appropriate, such a designation 
additionally contains the d escription of another branch of the 
healing arts for which on e holds a valid license in this state or as 
otherwise provided by law . 
D.  The practice of medicine and surgery, as defined in this 
section, shall not inclu de: 
1.  A student while engaged in trai ning in a medical school 
approved by the Board or while engaged in graduate medical training 
under the supervision of the medical st aff of a hospital or other 
health care facility approved by th e state medical board f or such 
training, except that a student engaged in graduate medical training 
shall hold a license issued by the Board for such train ing; 
2.  Any person who provides medica l treatment in cases of 
emergency where no fee or other consid eration is contemplated , 
charged or received; 
3.  A commissioned medical officer of the armed forces of the 
United States or medical officer of the United States Public Health 
Service or the Department of Veterans Affairs of the United States 
in the discharge of official duties and/or or within federally   
 
 
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controlled facilities; and provided that such person shal l be fully 
licensed to practice medicine and sur gery in one or more 
jurisdictions of the United States; provided further that such 
person who holds a medical license in thi s state shall be subject to 
the provisions of the Oklahoma Allopathic Medical and Su rgical 
Licensure and Supervision Act; 
4.  Any person licensed under any other act when properly 
practicing in the healing art for which that person i s duly 
licensed; 
5.  The practice of those who endeavor to pre vent or cure 
disease or suffering by spiritua l means or prayer; 
6.  Any person administering a domestic or family remedy to a 
member of such person’s own family; 
7.  Any person licensed to pract ice medicine and surger y in 
another state or territory of the United States who renders 
emergency medical treatment or briefly provides critical medical 
service at the specific lawful direction of a medical institution or 
federal agency that assumes full r esponsibility for that treatment 
or service and is approved by the Board; 
8.  Any person who is licensed to practice medicine and surgery 
in another state or territory of the United States whose sole 
purpose and activity is limited to brief actual consulta tion with a 
specific physician who is licensed to practice med icine and surgery   
 
 
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by the Board, other than a person with a special or restricted 
license; or 
9.  The practice of any other person as licensed by appropriate 
agencies of this state, provided that such duties are consis tent 
with the accepted standards of the person’s profession and the 
person does not represent himself or herself as a Doctor, Doctor of 
Medicine, Physician, Surgeon, Physician and Surgeon, Dr., M.D. or 
any of the medical special ties listed in subsection A of this 
section, or any combination the reof, except as otherwise provided by 
law. 
E.  Nothing in the Oklahoma Allopathic Medical and Surgical 
Licensure and Supervision Act shall prohibit: 
1.  The service rendered by a physician’s unlicensed trained 
assistant, if such service is rendered under t he supervision and 
control of a licensed physician pursuant to Board rules, provided 
such rules are not in conflict with the provisions of any other 
healing arts licensure act or rules promulgated pursuant to such 
act; or 
2.  The service of any other perso n duly licensed or certified 
by the state to practice the healing arts. 
F.  Nothing in the Oklahoma Allopathic Medical and Surgical 
Licensure and Supervision Act s hall prohibit services rendered by 
any person not licensed by the Board and practicing any 
nonallopathic healing practice.   
 
 
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G.  Nothing in the Oklahoma Allopathic Medical and Surgical 
Licensure and Supervision Act shall be construed as to require a 
physician to secure a Maintenance of Certification (MOC) as a 
condition of licensure, reimbursement, employment or admitting 
privileges at a hospital in this state.  For the purposes of this 
subsection, “Maintenance of Certification (MOC) ” shall mean a 
continuing education program measuring core competencies in the 
practice of medicine and surgery and app roved by a nationally -
recognized accrediting organization. 
SECTION 3.     AMENDATORY     59 O.S. 2011, Section 725.2, is 
amended to read as follows: 
Section 725.2. A.  The following nine classes of persons may 
use the word “Doctor”, or an abbreviation thereof, and sha ll have 
the right to use, whether or not in conjunction with the word 
“Doctor”, or any abbreviation th ereof, the following designations: 
1.  The letters “D.P.M.” or the words podiatrist, doctor of 
podiatry, podiatric surgeon, or doctor of podiatric medicin e by a 
person licensed to practice podiatry under the Podiatric Medicine 
Practice Act; 
2.  The letters “D.C.” or the words chiropractor or doctor of 
chiropractic by a person licensed to practice chiropractic under the 
Oklahoma Chiropractic Practice Act ; 
3. The letters “D.D.S.” or “D.M.D.”, as appropriate, or the 
words dentist, doctor of dental surgery, or doctor of dental   
 
 
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medicine, as appropriate, by a person licensed to practice dentistry 
under the State Dental Act ; 
4.  The letters “M.D.” or the words surgeon, medical doctor, or 
doctor of medicine, or medical specialty titles, by a person 
licensed to practice medic ine and surgery unde r the Oklahoma 
Allopathic Medical and Surgical Licensure and Supervision Act ; 
5.  The letters “O.D.” or the words optometris t or doctor of 
optometry by a person licensed to practice optometry under Sections 
581 through 606 of this title; 
6.  The letters “D.O.” or the words surgeon, oste opathic 
surgeon, osteopath, doctor of osteopathy, or doctor of osteopathic 
medicine by a person licensed to practice osteopathy under the 
Oklahoma Osteopathic Medicine Act ; 
7.  The letters “Ph.D.”, “Ed.D.”, or “Psy.D.” or the words 
psychologist, therapist, or counselor by a person licensed as a 
health service psychologist pursuant to the Psycholog ists Licensing 
Act; 
8.  The letters “Ph.D.”, “Ed.D.”, or other letters representing 
a doctoral degree or the words language patholog ist, speech 
pathologist, or speech and language pathologist by a person licensed 
as a speech and language pathologist pursua nt to the Speech-Language 
Pathology and Audiology Licensing Act and who has earned a doctoral 
degree from a regionally accredited in stitution of higher learning 
in the field of speech and language pathology; and   
 
 
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9.  The letters “Ph.D.”, “Ed.D.”, or other letters representing 
a doctoral degree or the word audiologist by a person licensed as an 
audiologist pursuant to the Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology 
Licensing Act and who has earned a doctoral degree from a regionally 
accredited institution of high er learning in the field of audiology. 
B.  Unless otherwise specifically provided in a particular 
section or chapter of the Oklahoma Statutes, the word “doctor” or 
“doctors” shall mean and include each of the nine classes of persons 
listed in subsection A and the word “physician” or “physicians”, as 
provided in subsection C of this section. Any other person using 
the term doctor, or a ny abbreviation thereof, shall designate the 
authority under which the title is used or the college or honorary 
degree that gives rise to use of the title. 
C.  Unless otherwise specifically provided in a particular 
section or chapter of the Oklahoma Statutes, the word “physician” or 
“physicians” shall mean and include each of the classes of persons 
listed in paragraphs 1 throug h 6 of subsection A and the word 
“doctor” or “doctors” as provided in subsection B of this section.  
The term “physician” shall not include any person specified in 
paragraphs 7 through 9 of subsection A of this section unless such 
person is otherwise autho rized to use such designation pursuant to 
this section. 
D. For purposes of this section, “provider” means and includes:   
 
 
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l.  Each of the nine classes of persons li sted in subsection A 
of this section and referred to in subsectio ns B and C of this 
section; and 
2.  Any other person using the term doctor or any abbreviation 
thereof. 
E.  Persons in each of the nine clas ses listed in subsec tion A, 
and referred to in subs ections B and C, of this section shall 
identify through written notice, which may include the wearing of a 
name tag, the type of license under which the doctor is practicing, 
utilizing the designations pro vided in subsections A, B and C of 
this section.  Each applicable licensing board is authorized by rule 
to determine how its license holders may comply with this disclosure 
requirement. 
F.  1.  Any advertisement for health care services naming a 
provider shall: 
a. identify the type of license of the doctor utilizing 
the letters or words set forth in this section if the 
person is one of the classes of persons listed in 
subsection A of this section, and referred to in 
subsections B and C of this section, or 
b. utilize appropriate, accepted, and easily underst ood 
words or letters, which clearly show and indicate the 
branch of the healing art in which the person is 
licensed to practice and is engaged in, if the person   
 
 
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is not one of the nine classes of persons li sted in 
subsection A of this section, or referred t o in 
subsections B and C of this section. 
2.  The term “advertisement” includes any printed d ocument 
including letterhead, video clip, or audio clip created by, for, or 
at the direction of the provider or providers and advert ised for the 
purpose of promoting the services of the doctor or provider. 
G.  1.  It shall be unlawful for any medical docto r, doctor of 
osteopathic medicine, doctor of dental surgery, doctor of dental 
medicine, doctor of optometry, doc tor of podiatry, or doctor of 
chiropractic to make any deceptive or misleading statement, or 
engage in any deceptive or misleading act, that dec eives or misleads 
the public or a prospective or current patient, regarding the 
training and the license under w hich the person is a uthorized to 
practice. 
2.  The term “deceptive or misleading statement or act ” 
includes, but is not limited to: 
a. such statement or act in any advertising medium, 
b. making a false statement regarding the education, 
skills, training, or licensure of a person, or 
c. in any other way des cribing the profession, skills, 
training, expertise, education, or licensure of a 
person in a fashion that causes the public, a 
potential patient, or current patient to believe that   
 
 
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the person is a medical doctor, doctor of osteopathic 
medicine, doctor of dental surgery, doctor of dental 
medicine, doctor of optometry, doctor of podiatry, or 
doctor of chiropractic when that person does not hold 
such credentials. 
H. Notwithstanding any other provision of thi s section, a 
person licensed in this state to perfo rm speech pathology or 
audiology services is designated to be a practitioner of the healing 
art for purposes of making a referral for speech pathology or 
audiology services pursuant to the provisions of th e Individuals 
with Disabilities Education Act, Amen dment of 1997, Public Law 105-
17, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. 
SECTION 4.     AMENDATORY     59 O.S. 2011, Section 731.2, is 
amended to read as follows: 
Section 731.2. A.  Proof that any class of persons identified 
in Section 725.2 of thi s title appends to their name the word 
“Doctor”, the abbreviation “Dr.”, any medical specialty title or any 
other word, abbreviation or designation, which word, abbreviation or 
designation, indicate indicates that such person is qualified for 
diagnosis or treatment, as herein defined, shall constitute prima 
facie evidence that such person is holding himself or herself out, 
within the meaning of this act Sections 731.1 through 731.6 of this 
title, as qualified to engage in diagnosis or treatment.   
 
 
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B.  Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent a 
person specified in paragraphs 7 through 9 of subsection A of 
Section 725.2 of this title from appending to such person ’s name the 
word “Doctor”, so long as such person follows such na me and 
designation with the letters signifying the recognized doctoral 
degrees specified in paragraphs 7 through 9 of subsection A of 
Section 725.2 of this title. 
SECTION 5.     AMENDATORY     59 O.S. 2011, Section 731.3, is 
amended to read as follows: 
Section 731.3. Except as authorized by the provisions of 
Sections 492 and 731.5 of this title and Section 5 of this act 
Section 1-116.2 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes , no person 
shall in any manner engage in, offer to engage in, or ho ld himself 
or herself out as qualified to engage in the diagnosis and/or or 
treatment of any huma n ill including by the use of medical titles or 
medical specialty titles, unless such person is the holder o f a 
legal and unrevoked license or certificate issu ed under the laws of 
Oklahoma authorizing s uch person to practice the heali ng art covered 
by such license and is practicing thereunder in the manner and 
subject to the limitations provided by the laws of the State of 
Oklahoma this state for the issuance of such license or certificate 
for the practice thereunder. 
SECTION 6.  This act shall become effective November 1, 2021. 
58-1-869 DC 1/19/2021 9:14:45 PM