3070-3078
BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE
SECTION 3070-3078
3070. (a) Before engaging in the practice of optometry, each licensed optometrist shall notify the board in writing of the address or addresses where he or she is to engage, or intends to engage, in the practice of optometry and, also, of any changes in his or her place of practice. The practice of optometry is the performing or the controlling of any of the acts set forth in Section 3041. (b) A licensed optometrist is not required to provide the notification described in subdivision (a) if he or she engages in the temporary practice of optometry in any of the following settings: (1) A facility licensed by the State Department of Public Health. (2) A public institution, including, but not limited to, a school, a community college, and federal, state, and local penal and correctional facilities. (3) A mobile unit that is operated by a governmental agency or by a nonprofit or charitable organization. (4) The home of a patient who is not ambulatory. (5) The practice location of another optometrist that has been reported to the board pursuant to this section if the other optometrist is ill or on a temporary leave or for any other reason approved by the board. The exception under this paragraph is limited to a total period at all temporary practice locations of seven calendar days during a 30-day period and 84 days during a calendar year. (c) Notwithstanding Section 3075, an optometrist engaging in the temporary practice of optometry at a location described in subdivision (b) shall carry and present upon demand evidence of his or her licensure but shall not be required to post his or her current license or other evidence of current license status issued by the board. (d) In addition to the information required by Section 3076, a receipt issued to a patient by an optometrist engaging in the temporary practice of optometry at a location described in subdivision (b) shall contain the address of the optometrist's primary practice location and the temporary practice location where the services were provided. (e) "Temporary practice" shall be defined by the board for purposes of this section. 3070.1. (a) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) "Health facility" means a health facility as defined in Section 1250 of the Health and Safety Code, exclusive of a hospital defined in subdivision (a) or (b) of that section. (2) "Residential care facility" means a residential facility, as defined in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 1502 of the Health and Safety Code, licensed by the State Department of Social Services, including, but not limited to, the following: (A) Adult residential facilities. (B) Adult residential facilities for persons with special health care needs. (C) Residential care facilities for the chronically ill. (D) Residential care facilities for the elderly. (E) Continuing care retirement communities. (F) Social rehabilitation facilities. (b) An optometrist may engage in the practice of optometry at any health facility or residential care facility provided that all of the following requirements are satisfied: (1) The optometrist maintains a primary business office, separate from the health facility or residential care facility, that meets all of the following requirements: (A) Is open to the public during normal business hours by telephone and for purposes of billing services or access to patient records. (B) Is licensed to the optometrist or the employer of the optometrist as a local business with the city or county in which it is located. (C) Is registered by the optometrist with the Board of Optometry. (D) Is owned or leased by the optometrist or by the employer of the optometrist. (E) Is not located in or connected with a residential dwelling. (2) The optometrist maintains or discloses patient records in the following manner: (A) Records are maintained and made available to the patient in such a way that the type and extent of services provided to the patient are conspicuously disclosed. The disclosure of records shall be made at or near the time services are rendered and shall be maintained at the primary business office specified in paragraph (1). (B) The optometrist complies with all federal and state laws and regulations regarding the maintenance and protection of medical records, including, but not limited to, the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 300gg). (C) Pursuant to Section 3007, the optometrist keeps all necessary records for a minimum of seven years from the date of service in order to disclose fully the extent of services furnished to a patient. Any information included on a printed copy of an original document to a patient shall be certified by the optometrist as being true, accurate, and complete. (D) If a prescription is issued to a patient, records shall be maintained for each prescription as part of the patient's chart, including all of the following information about the optometrist: (i) Name. (ii) Optometrist license number. (iii) The place of practice and the primary business office. (iv) Description of the goods and services for which the patient is charged and the amount charged. (E) A copy of any referral or order requesting optometric services for a patient from the health facility's or residential care facility's administrator, director of social services, the attending physician and surgeon, the patient, or a family member shall be kept in the patient's medical record. (3) The optometrist possesses and appropriately uses the instruments and equipment required for all optometric services and procedures performed within the health facility or residential care facility. (c) An optometrist who satisfies all of the requirements in this section for the practice of optometry at a health facility or residential care facility shall not be required to comply with Section 3070 with regard to providing notification to the board of each facility or residential care facility at which he or she practices. 3075. An optometrist shall post in each location where he or she practices optometry, in an area that is likely to be seen by all patients who use the office, his or her current license or other evidence of current license status issued by the board. The board may charge a fee as specified in Section 3152 for each issuance of evidence of current licensure. 3076. A licensed optometrist shall deliver to each patient that makes a payment to the practice, excluding insurance copayments and deductibles, a receipt that contains all of the following information: (a) His or her name. (b) The number of his or her optometrist license. (c) His or her place of practice. (d) A description of the goods and services for which the patient is charged and the amount charged. 3077. As used in this section "office" means any office or other place for the practice of optometry. (a) No person, singly or in combination with others, may have an office unless he or she is registered to practice optometry under this chapter. (b) An optometrist, or two or more optometrists jointly, may have one office without obtaining a further license from the board. (c) On and after October 1, 1959, no optometrist, and no two or more optometrists jointly, may have more than one office unless he or she or they comply with the provisions of this chapter as to an additional office. The additional office, for the purposes of this chapter, constitutes a branch office. (d) Any optometrist who has, or any two or more optometrists, jointly, who have, a branch office prior to January 1, 1957, and who desire to continue the branch office on or after that date shall notify the board in writing of that desire in a manner prescribed by the board. (e) On and after January 1, 1957, any optometrist, or any two or more optometrists, jointly, who desire to open a branch office shall notify the board in writing in a manner prescribed by the board. (f) On and after January 1, 1957, no branch office may be opened or operated without a branch office license. Branch office licenses shall be valid for the calendar year in or for which they are issued and shall be renewable on January 1st of each year thereafter. Branch office licenses shall be issued or renewed only upon the payment of the fee therefor prescribed by this chapter. On or after October 1, 1959, no more than one branch office license shall be issued to any optometrist or to any two or more optometrists, jointly. (g) Any failure to comply with the provisions of this chapter relating to branch offices or branch office licenses as to any branch office shall work the suspension of the certificate of registration of each optometrist who, individually or with others, has a branch office. A certificate of registration so suspended shall not be restored except upon compliance with those provisions and the payment of the fee prescribed by this chapter for restoration of a certificate of registration after suspension for failure to comply with the provisions of this chapter relating to branch offices. (h) The holder or holders of a branch office license shall pay the annual renewal fee therefor in the amount required by this chapter between the first day of January and the first day of February of each year. The failure to pay the fee in advance on or before February 1st of each year during the time it is in force shall ipso facto work the suspension of the branch office license. The license shall not be restored except upon written application and the payment of the penalty prescribed by this chapter, and, in addition, all delinquent branch office fees. (i) Nothing in this chapter shall limit or authorize the board to limit the number of branch offices that are in operation on October 1, 1959, and that conform to this chapter, nor prevent an optometrist from acquiring any branch office or offices of his or her parent. The sale after October 1, 1959, of any branch office shall terminate the privilege of operating the branch office, and no new branch office license shall be issued in place of the license issued for the branch office, unless the branch office is the only one operated by the optometrist or by two or more optometrists jointly. Nothing in this chapter shall prevent an optometrist from owning, maintaining, or operating more than one branch office if he or she is in personal attendance at each of his or her offices 50 percent of the time during which the office is open for the practice of optometry. (j) The board shall have the power to adopt, amend, and repeal rules and regulations to carry out the provisions of this section. (k) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, neither an optometrist nor an individual practice association shall be deemed to have an additional office solely by reason of the optometrist's participation in an individual practice association or the individual practice association's creation or operation. As used in this subdivision, the term "individual practice association" means an entity that meets all of the following requirements: (1) Complies with the definition of an optometric corporation in Section 3160. (2) Operates primarily for the purpose of securing contracts with health care service plans or other third-party payers that make available eye/vision services to enrollees or subscribers through a panel of optometrists. (3) Contracts with optometrists to serve on the panel of optometrists, but does not obtain an ownership interest in, or otherwise exercise control over, the respective optometric practices of those optometrists on the panel. Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed to exempt an optometrist who is a member of an individual practice association and who practices optometry in more than one physical location, from the requirement of obtaining a branch office license for each of those locations, as required by this section. However, an optometrist shall not be required to obtain a branch office license solely as a result of his or her participation in an individual practice association in which the members of the individual practice association practice optometry in a number of different locations, and each optometrist is listed as a member of that individual practice association. 3078. (a) It is unlawful to practice optometry under a false or assumed name, or to use a false or assumed name in connection with the practice of optometry, or to make use of any false or assumed name in connection with the name of a person licensed pursuant to this chapter. However, the board may issue written permits authorizing an individual optometrist or an optometric group or optometric corporation to use a name specified in the permit in connection with its practice if, and only if, the board finds to its satisfaction all of the following: (1) The place or establishment, or the portion thereof, in which the applicant or applicants practice, is owned or leased by the applicant or applicants, and the practice conducted at that place or establishment, or portion thereof, is wholly owned and entirely controlled by the applicant or applicants. However, if the applicant or applicants are practicing optometry in a community clinic, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 1204 of the Health and Safety Code, this subdivision shall not apply. (2) The name under which the applicant or applicants propose to operate is in the judgment of the board not deceptive or inimical to enabling a rational choice for the consumer public and contains at least one of the following designations: "optometry" or "optometric." However, if the applicant or applicants are practicing optometry in a community clinic, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 1204 of the Health and Safety Code, this subdivision shall not apply. In no case shall the name under which the applicant or applicants propose to operate contain the name or names of any of the optometrists practicing in the community clinic. (3) The names of all optometrists practicing at the location designated in the application are displayed in a conspicuous place for the public to see, not only at the location, but also in any advertising permitted by law. (4) No charges that could result in revocation or suspension of an optometrist's license to practice optometry are pending against any optometrist practicing at the location. (b) Permits issued under this section by the board shall expire and become invalid unless renewed at the times and in the manner provided in Article 7 (commencing with Section 3145) for the renewal of licenses issued under this chapter. (c) A permit issued under this section may be revoked or suspended at any time that the board finds that any one of the requirements for original issuance of a permit, other than under paragraph (4) of subdivision (a), is no longer being fulfilled by the individual optometrist, optometric corporation, or optometric group to whom the permit was issued. Proceedings for revocation or suspension shall be governed by the Administrative Procedure Act. (d) If the board revokes or suspends the license to practice optometry of an individual optometrist or any member of a corporation or group to whom a permit has been issued under this section, the revocation or suspension shall also constitute revocation or suspension, as the case may be, of the permit.