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Licensing

The Board's Licensing Program protects consumers through proper licensing of physicians and surgeons and certain allied health care professionals.

Notice to Consumers

Per Business and Professions Code (BPC) section 2026, the Board was required to develop regulations to require its licentiates and registrants to provide notice to their clients or patients that the practitioner is licensed or registered in this state by the Board, that the practitioner's license can be checked, and that complaints against the practitioner can be made through the Board's Internet Web site or by contacting the Board.

In response to BPC section 2026, the Board amended Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations (CCR) section 1355.4 (applicable to physicians and surgeons) and section 1379.58 (applicable to polysomnographic technologists, technicians, and trainees.)

The Board also added 16 CCR section 1378.5 (applicable to research psychoanalysts) and section 1379.4 (applicable to licensed midwives).

Beginning January 1, 2023, all licensees and registrants of the Board must provide notice to each patient or client that they are licensed/registered and regulated by the Board, and their license/registration can be checked and complaints against the licensee/registrant can be made through the Board's website or by contacting the Board.

The notice shall include a quick response (QR) code that leads to the Board's Notice to Consumer webpage and shall contain the following statement and information:

Licensees/registrants may comply with this requirement by doing one of the following:

  1. Post the notice in an area visible to patients/clients on the premises where the licensee/registrant provides the professional services in at least 38-point type in Arial font (sample signs are provided below);
  2. Include the notice and an acknowledgement of receipt and understanding in a written statement in a language understood by the patient/client or their representative, signed and dated by the patient/client or their representative and retained in that patient's/client's medical records. The notice and acknowledgement of receipt and understanding may be provided and maintained in an electronic format (sample notices and acknowledgements of receipt and understanding are provided below); or
  3. Include the notice in a language understood by the patient/client or their representative in a statement on letterhead, discharge instructions, or other document given to a patient/client or their representative, where the notice is placed immediately above the signature line for the patient/client in at least 14-point type.

The Board has posted the notice template with the QR code in the following languages on its Notice to Consumers webpage: English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Korean, Armenian, Farsi, Arabic, Russian, Japanese, Punjabi, and Khmer.

If the licensee/registrant chooses to post a sign to comply with the notice requirement, and the sign is not in a language understood by the patient/client or their representative, then the notice must be provided under option 2 or 3 above, so long as the Board has provided a translated notice understood by the patient/client or their representative on its Notice to Consumers webpage.

A licensee/registrant will be deemed to be in compliance with this section if the hospital, clinic, or other practice location where they are practicing posts the notice on its premises in an area visible to patients/clients consistent with the requirements of the regulation.

Sample Signs for Posting:

Sample Notices and Acknowledgments of Receipt and Understanding: