Title BPC — California Bus. & Prof. Code

All examinations shall be designed to ascertain the applicant’s fitness to practice medicine. Unless otherwise provided the examination shall be in writing.

State examination records shall be kept on file by the board until June 1, 2070. Examinees shall be known and designated by number only, and the name attached to the number shall be kept secret until the examinee is sent notification of the results of the examinations.

Examinations for a physician’s and surgeon’s certificate may be conducted by the Division of Licensing under a uniform examination system, and for that purpose the division may make such arrangements with organizations furnishing examination material as it may deem desirable. The…

(a) A passing score is required for an entire examination or for each part of an examination, as established by resolution of the board. (b) Applicants may elect to take the written examinations conducted or accepted by the board in separate parts. (c) (1) An applicant shall have…

The Division of Licensing shall insure that nutrition is included on the examination for a certificate as a physician and surgeon.

An applicant for a physician’s and surgeon’s certificate shall pass the national examination for medical licensure in biomedical sciences and clinical sciences, including geriatric medicine, determined by the Division of Licensing to be essential for the unsupervised practice of …

(a) Each applicant shall obtain on the written examination a passing score, established by the board pursuant to Section 2177. (b) (1) Passing scores on each step of the United States Medical Licensing Examination shall be valid for a period of 10 years from the month of the exam…

An applicant who is a diplomate of the National Board of Medical Examiners shall not be required to take the written examination prescribed by this article, provided such applicant meets the requirements of Section 2151.

In order to ensure the continuing competence of licensed physicians and surgeons, the board shall adopt and administer standards for the continuing education of those licensees. The board may also set content standards for any educational activity concerning a chronic disease tha…

(a) The continuing medical education standards of Section 2190 may be met by educational activities that meet the standards of the board and that serve to maintain, develop, or increase the knowledge, skills, and professional performance that a physician and surgeon uses to provi…

Notwithstanding Section 2190.1, a physician and surgeon may meet the continuing medical education standards in Section 2190 through continuing medical education courses that meet any of the criteria below, except that these courses shall not together comprise more than 30 percent…

The Division of Licensing shall establish criteria that providers of continuing medical education shall follow to ensure attendance by licensees throughout the entire course.

All general internists and family physicians who have a patient population of which over 25 percent are 65 years of age or older shall complete at least 20 percent of all mandatory continuing education hours in a course in the field of geriatric medicine, the special care needs o…

(a) (1) All physicians and surgeons shall complete a mandatory continuing education course in the subjects of pain management and the treatment of terminally ill and dying patients. For the purposes of this section, this course shall be a one-time requirement of 12 credit hours w…

(a) As an alternative to Section 2190.5, a physician and surgeon may complete a one-time continuing education course of 12 credit hours in the subject of treatment and management of opiate-dependent patients, including eight hours of training in buprenorphine treatment, or other …

(a) In determining its continuing education requirements, the board shall consider including a course in human sexuality, defined as the study of a human being as a sexual being and how they function with respect thereto, and nutrition to be taken by those licensees whose practic…

The Division of Licensing shall encourage every physician and surgeon to take a course in pharmacology and pharmaceuticals as part of his or her continuing education.

The division shall encourage every physician and surgeon to take a course in geriatric medicine, including geriatric pharmacology, as part of his or her continuing education.

The board, in determining its continuing education requirements, shall consider including a course in integrating HIV/AIDS pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) medication maintenance and counseling in primary care settings, especially as it pertains…

In determining its continuing education requirements, the board shall consider including a course in integrating mental and physical health care in primary care settings, especially as it pertains to early identification of mental health issues and exposure to trauma in children …

In determining its continuing education requirements, the board shall consider including a course in infection-associated chronic conditions, including, but not limited to, long COVID, as defined by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, myalgic encephalomyeli…

The board shall periodically develop and disseminate information and educational material regarding the detection and treatment of child abuse and neglect to each licensed physician and surgeon and to each general acute care hospital in the state. The board shall consult with the…

The board shall periodically develop and disseminate information and educational material regarding the detection and treatment of elder abuse and neglect to each licensed physician and surgeon and to each general acute care hospital in this state. The board shall consult with th…

The board shall periodically develop and disseminate information and educational material regarding pain management techniques and procedures, including the risks of addiction associated with the use of Schedule II drugs, to each licensed physician and surgeon and to each general…

The board shall periodically disseminate information and educational material regarding the detection and treatment of spousal or partner abuse to each licensed physician and surgeon and to each general acute care hospital in the state.

The board shall periodically disseminate information and educational material regarding the prevention and treatment of chronic disease by the application of changes in nutrition and lifestyle behavior to each licensed physician and surgeon and to each general acute care hospital…

The board shall convene a working group of interested parties to discuss nutrition and lifestyle behavior for the prevention and treatment of chronic disease at one of its quarterly meetings within three years after the operative date of this section.

The board shall periodically develop and disseminate information and educational material regarding assessing a patient’s risk of abusing or diverting controlled substances and information relating to the Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES), desc…

(a) In determining its continuing education requirements for physicians and surgeons, the board shall consider including a course in maternal mental health, which shall address the following: (1) Best practices in screening for maternal mental health disorders, including cultural…

(a) This article shall be known and may be cited as the Cultural and Linguistic Competency of Physicians Act of 2003. The cultural and linguistic physician competency program is hereby established and shall be operated by local medical societies of the California Medical Associat…

For purposes of this article, “cultural and linguistic competency” means cultural and linguistic abilities that can be incorporated into therapeutic and medical evaluation and treatment, including, but not limited to, the following: (a) Direct communication in the patient-client …

The Legislature finds and declares that in this state, significant surgeries are being performed in unregulated out-of-hospital settings. The Legislature further finds and declares that without appropriate oversight, some of these settings may be operating in a manner which is in…

On or after July 1, 1996, no physician and surgeon shall perform procedures in an outpatient setting using anesthesia, except local anesthesia or peripheral nerve blocks, or both, complying with the community standard of practice, in doses that, when administered, have the probab…

On and after July 1, 2000, it is unprofessional conduct for a physician and surgeon to perform procedures in any outpatient setting except in compliance with Section 2216, unless the setting has a minimum of two staff persons on the premises, one of whom shall either be a license…

(a) It is unprofessional conduct for a physician and surgeon to fail to provide adequate security by liability insurance, or by participation in an interindemnity trust, for claims by patients arising out of surgical procedures performed outside of a general acute care hospital a…

(a) An outpatient setting accredited pursuant to Section 1248.1 of the Health and Safety Code shall report an adverse event to the board no later than five days after the adverse event has been detected, or, if that event is an ongoing urgent or emergent threat to the welfare, he…

If an accredited outpatient setting fails to report an adverse event pursuant to Section 2216.3, the board may assess the accredited outpatient setting a civil penalty in an amount not to exceed one hundred dollars ($100) for each day that the adverse event is not reported follow…

The Division of Licensing of the Medical Board of California may adopt regulations to implement this article and Chapter 1.3 (commencing with Section 1248) of Division 2 of the Health and Safety Code.

Except as otherwise provided by law, the board may take action against all persons guilty of violating this chapter. The board shall enforce and administer this article as to physician and surgeon certificate holders, including those who hold certificates that do not permit them …

(a) (1) The director shall appoint an independent enforcement monitor no later than March 1, 2022. The director may retain a person for this position by a personal services contract. The Legislature finds, pursuant to Section 19130 of the Government Code, that this is a new state…

(a) In order to ensure that its resources are maximized for the protection of the public, the Medical Board of California and the California Board of Podiatric Medicine shall prioritize their investigative and prosecutorial resources to ensure that physicians and surgeons and doc…

(a) Except for reports received by the board pursuant to Section 801.01 or 805 that may be treated as complaints by the board and new complaints relating to a physician and surgeon who is the subject of a pending accusation or investigation or who is on probation, any complaint d…

(a) For purposes of this section, “patient representative” means the spouse or domestic partner of the patient, a person responsible for the care of the patient, or the patient’s next of kin. (b) (1) Before a complaint within the jurisdiction of the board pertaining to the qualit…

(a) For purposes of this section, “patient representative” means the spouse or domestic partner of the patient, a person responsible for the care of the patient, or the patient’s next of kin. (b) (1) At the time that a complaint is referred for a field investigation, the relevant…

(a) The Medical Board of California is the only licensing board that is authorized to investigate or commence disciplinary actions relating to physicians and surgeons who have been issued a certificate pursuant to Section 2050. (b) For purposes of this section, “investigate or co…

The board shall investigate any licensee against whom an information or indictment has been filed that alleges a violation of Section 550 of the Penal Code or Section 1871.4 of the Insurance Code, if the district attorney does not otherwise object to initiating an investigation.

(a) A physician and surgeon shall not include or permit to be included any of the following provisions in an agreement to settle a civil dispute arising from his or her practice, whether the agreement is made before or after filing the action: (1) A provision that prohibits anoth…

(a) The board may deny a physician’s and surgeon’s certificate to an applicant guilty of unprofessional conduct or of any cause that would subject a licensee to revocation or suspension of their license. The board, in its sole discretion, may issue a probationary physician’s and …

(a) Notwithstanding subdivision (a) of Section 2221, the board may issue a physician’s and surgeon’s certificate to an applicant who has committed minor violations that the board deems, in its discretion, do not merit the denial of a certificate or require probationary status und…

(a) The board and the California Board of Podiatric Medicine shall investigate and may take disciplinary action, including, but not limited to, revocation or suspension of licenses, against physicians and surgeons and all others licensed or regulated by the board, or by the Calif…