Vote YES on AB 765, CalDerm’s Truth-in-Advertising Legislation
The Assembly Business and Professions Committee on April 11 is expected to hear AB 765 (Wood), CalDerm’s co-sponsored bill to prohibit the use of “Dermatologist” or other specialty physician designation by providers who are not a fully licensed MDs or DOs. CalDerm and our co-sponsors California Medical Association (CMA) and California Society of Anesthesiologists (CSA) have been working hard on the bill in Sacramento, and we need your help.
Please, we ask CalDerm members who are represented by one of these 19 committee B&P committee members listed below, to contact them and urge them to vote yes on this important measure to protect clear communication, patient safety and physician practice.
Here’s what to do:
- Enter BOTH practice address here: http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov.
- If your work and/or home address are represented by one or two Assemblymembers on the above list, please click through the link to their contact form.
- Fill out the appropriate fields.
- In the “Comments” section
- Please identify yourself as their constituent as well as a licensed physician and practicing dermatologist.
- Ask the legislator to vote YES on the AB 765 (Wood) when it is heard April 11 in Assembly Business and Professions Committee.
You may use, personalize, and simply cut and paste any or all of these bullet points:
- Patients have a right to know the level of training and experience of the members of their healthcare team.
- The vast majority of patients rightfully assume that their “dermatologist” “cardiologist,” “anesthesiologist,” and “psychiatrist” are licensed physicians.
- AB 765 simply extends the protections around the term “physician” to commonly used specialty terms. It DOES NOT alter or restrict the use of the term “doctor,” which is of course widely and appropriately used by those with doctoral-level degrees.
- AB 765 is crucial for patient protection and healthcare literacy at a time when non-physician providers are moving toward independent practice.
- After you submit your comments, please tell CalDerm lobbyist Don Schinske, dschinske@capitol.com which legislator(s) you contacted.