Sec. 20-9. Who may practice medicine or surgery.
Sec. 20-9. Who may practice medicine or surgery. (a) No person shall, for compensation, gain or reward, received or expected, diagnose, treat, operate for or prescribe
for any injury, deformity, ailment or disease, actual or imaginary, of another person,
nor practice surgery, until he has obtained such a license as provided in section 20-10,
and then only in the kind or branch of practice stated in such license.
(b) The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to:
(1) Dentists while practicing dentistry only;
(2) Any person in the employ of the United States government while acting in the
scope of his employment;
(3) Any person who furnishes medical or surgical assistance in cases of sudden
emergency;
(4) Any person residing out of this state who is employed to come into this state to
render temporary assistance to or consult with any physician or surgeon who has been
licensed in conformity with the provisions of this chapter;
(5) Any physician or surgeon residing out of this state who holds a current license
in good standing in another state and who is employed to come into this state to treat,
operate or prescribe for any injury, deformity, ailment or disease from which the person
who employed such physician, or the person on behalf of whom such physician is employed, is suffering at the time when such nonresident physician or surgeon is so employed, provided such physician or surgeon may practice in this state without a Connecticut license for a period not to exceed thirty consecutive days;
(6) Any person rendering service as (A) an advanced practice registered nurse if
such service is rendered in collaboration with a licensed physician, or (B) an advanced
practice registered nurse maintaining classification from the American Association of
Nurse Anesthetists if such service is under the direction of a licensed physician;
(7) Any nurse-midwife practicing nurse-midwifery in accordance with the provisions of chapter 377;
(8) Any podiatrist licensed in accordance with the provisions of chapter 375;
(9) Any Christian Science practitioner who does not use or prescribe in his practice
any drugs, poisons, medicines, chemicals, nostrums or surgery;
(10) Any person licensed to practice any of the healing arts named in section 20-1, who does not use or prescribe in his practice any drugs, medicines, poisons, chemicals,
nostrums or surgery;
(11) Any graduate of any school or institution giving instruction in the healing arts
who has been issued a permit in accordance with subsection (a) of section 20-11a and
who is serving as an intern, resident or medical officer candidate in a hospital;
(12) Any student participating in a clinical clerkship program who has the qualifications specified in subsection (b) of section 20-11a;
(13) Any person, otherwise qualified to practice medicine in this state except that
he is a graduate of a medical school located outside of the United States or the Dominion
of Canada which school is recognized by the American Medical Association or the
World Health Organization, to whom the Connecticut Medical Examining Board, subject to such regulations as the Commissioner of Public Health, with advice and assistance
from the board, prescribes, has issued a permit to serve as an intern or resident in a
hospital in this state for the purpose of extending his education;
(14) Any person rendering service as a physician assistant licensed pursuant to
section 20-12b, a registered nurse, a licensed practical nurse or a paramedic, as defined
in subdivision (15) of section 19a-175, acting within the scope of regulations adopted
pursuant to section 19a-179, if such service is rendered under the supervision, control
and responsibility of a licensed physician;
(15) Any student enrolled in an accredited physician assistant program or paramedic
program approved in accordance with regulations adopted pursuant to section 19a-179,
who is performing such work as is incidental to his course of study;
(16) Any person who, on June 1, 1993, has worked continuously in this state since
1979 performing diagnostic radiology services and who, as of October 31, 1997, continued to render such services under the supervision, control and responsibility of a licensed
physician solely within the setting where such person was employed on June 1, 1993;
(17) Any person practicing athletic training, as defined in section 20-65f;
(18) When deemed by the Connecticut Medical Examining Board to be in the public's interest, based on such considerations as academic attainments, specialty board
certification and years of experience, to a foreign physician or surgeon whose professional activities shall be confined within the confines of a recognized medical school;
(19) Any technician engaging in tattooing in accordance with the provisions of
section 19a-92a and any regulations adopted thereunder; or
(20) Any person practicing perfusion, as defined in section 20-162aa.
(c) This section shall not authorize anyone to practice optometry, as defined in
chapter 380, or to practice dentistry, as defined in chapter 379, or dental hygiene, as
defined in chapter 379a.
(d) The provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall apply to any individual
whose practice of medicine includes any ongoing, regular or contractual arrangement
whereby, regardless of residency in this or any other state, he provides, through electronic communications or interstate commerce, diagnostic or treatment services, including primary diagnosis of pathology specimens, slides or images, to any person located
in this state. In the case of electronic transmissions of radiographic images, licensure
shall be required for an out-of-state physician who provides, through an ongoing, regular
or contractual arrangement, official written reports of diagnostic evaluations of such
images to physicians or patients in this state. The provisions of subsection (a) of this
section shall not apply to a nonresident physician who, while located outside this state,
consults (A) on an irregular basis with a physician licensed by section 20-10 who is
located in this state or (B) with a medical school within this state for educational or
medical training purposes. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, the provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall not apply to any individual who regularly
provides the types of services described in this subsection pursuant to any agreement
or arrangement with a short-term acute care general hospital, licensed by the Department
of Public Health, provided such agreement or arrangement was entered into prior to
February 1, 1996, and is in effect as of October 1, 1996.
(e) On and after October 1, 1999, any person licensed as an osteopathic physician
or osteopath pursuant to chapter 371 shall be deemed licensed as a physician and surgeon
pursuant to this chapter.
(1949 Rev., S. 4363; 1949, 1951, S. 2191d; 1959, P.A. 393, S. 1; 1971, P.A. 717; 1972, P.A. 80, S. 1; P.A. 75-39, S.
1; P.A. 77-519, S. 4, 6; 77-614, S. 349, 610; P.A. 84-546, S. 157, 173; P.A. 86-20; 86-403, S. 130, 132; P.A. 88-362, S.
1; P.A. 89-389, S. 4, 22; P.A. 90-211, S. 2, 23; P.A. 93-296, S. 7, 10; 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 94-105, S. 2, 4; P.A. 95-98;
95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; P.A. 96-148; P.A. 97-311, S. 17; P.A. 98-43, S. 3; P.A. 98-166, S. 5, 9; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 98-1, S.
18, 121; P.A. 99-102, S. 2; 99-168, S. 5; P.A. 00-47, S. 2; 00-226, S. 11, 20; P.A. 03-252, S. 8; P.A. 05-280, S. 76, 77.)
History: 1959 act added exceptions from provisions of chapter re interns and hospital residents; 1971 act excepted
trained assistants, registered or licensed practical nurses under supervision and control of licensed physician from provisions
of chapter and added qualifying provision re optometry and dentistry; 1972 act rephrased exception re graduates of "foreign"
medical schools to specify schools "located outside of the United States or the Dominion of Canada" and added exception
re foreign physicians; P.A. 75-39 qualified exception re schools attended outside of U.S. or Canada by specifying applicability to schools "recognized by the American Medical Association or the World Health Organization"; P.A. 77-519 deleted
proviso whereby exception for foreign physicians is inapplicable if physician declares intention of becoming U.S. citizen
and deleted reference to failure to meet residence and citizenship requirements in exception for those attending recognized
school outside of U.S. or Canada; P.A. 77-614 transferred regulation power from board to commissioner of health services,
granting board an advisory role, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 84-546 made technical changes to section substituting
references to licensure for references to certification; P.A. 86-20 removed a three-year limitation on the exception for a
foreign physician practicing in a medical school and added language requiring the Connecticut medical examining board
to determine if an exception for a foreign physician is in the public interest; P.A. 86-403 changed effective date of P.A.
86-20 from October 1, 1986, to April 21, 1986; P.A. 88-362 limited the exception for students to persons participating in
clinical clerkships and limited the graduate exception to persons who have been issued a permit; P.A. 89-389 added
references to advanced practice registered nurses and to nurse-midwives; P.A. 90-211 added exemptions for "licensed"
physician assistants and athletic trainers; P.A. 93-296 added provision exempting persons performing diagnostic radiology
services from chapter provisions, effective June 29, 1993; P.A. 93-381 replaced commissioner of health services with
commissioner of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 94-105 designated provisions re prohibition on practicing without a license as Subsec. (a), exceptions to such prohibition as Subsec. (b) and provisions re authorization to practice optometry, dentistry or dental hygiene as Subsec. (c) and amended Subsec. (b) to insert Subdiv. indicators
and add Subdiv. (19) re exception for technicians engaged in tattooing, effective May 23, 1994; P.A. 95-98 amended Subsec.
(b) to specifically exclude paramedics from provisions of chapter; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of
Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; P.A.
96-148 added Subsec. (d) concerning telemedicine; P.A. 97-311 amended reference to paramedics to reflect licensure under
Sec. 20-206ll; P.A. 98-43 paragraphed the numbered Subdivs. in Subsec. (b), changed "1978" to "1979" and "continues" to
"as of October 31, 1997, continued" in Subdiv. (16); P.A. 98-166 amended Subsec. (b)(11) to add medical officer candidates,
effective June 4, 1998; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 98-1 made a technical change re a statutory reference in Subsec. (c), effective
June 24, 1998; P.A. 99-102 added new Subsec. (e) re osteopathic physicians; P.A. 99-168 amended Subsec. (b)(6) by
replacing "under the direction of" with "in collaboration with" and adding Subpara. (B) re advanced practice registered
nurses under the direction of a physician if maintaining certain classification; P.A. 00-47 amended Subsec. (b)(14) by
changing "licensed paramedic" to "paramedic, as defined in Sec. 19a-175(15), acting within the scope of regulations
adopted pursuant to section 19a-179"; P.A. 00-226 amended Subsec. (b)(17) by changing "performing" to "practicing",
deleting reference to Sec. 19a-16a and adding reference to Sec. 20-65f, effective the later of October 1, 2000, or the date
notice is published by the Commissioner of Public Health in the Connecticut Law Journal indicating that the licensing of
athletic trainers and physical therapist assistants is being implemented by the commissioner, i.e. April 11, 2006; P.A. 03-252 amended Subsec. (b)(5) to require out-of-state physician to be licensed in good standing and to allow such physician
to practice without Connecticut license for period not to exceed 30 consecutive days; P.A. 05-280 added Subsec. (b)(20)
re exception for persons practicing perfusion.
See Sec. 17b-407 re duty of physician or surgeon to report suspected abuse, neglect, exploitation or abandonment of
the elderly.
See Sec. 19a-88 re annual renewal of licenses.
Cited. 130 C. 89. Sec. 20-8a et seq. cited. 207 C. 346.
Cited. 13 CS 463.