Bill > S332

This bill introduces the Health Care Practitioner Transparency Act, which establishes new requirements for how health care practitioners advertise and represent their professional credentials. The bill defines key terms such as "advertisement" (any communication naming a health care practitioner) and "health care practitioner" (licensed professionals in medical fields), and mandates that all advertisements must clearly identify the practitioner's specific type of license, certification, or registration. The legislation prohibits deceptive or misleading representations about professional qualifications, and specifically prevents individuals who are not licensed physicians from using medical titles like "surgeon," "doctor," or specialized medical specialty titles such as "cardiologist" or "pediatrician" in a way that could falsely imply medical practice. Violations of these requirements are considered unprofessional conduct and can result in disciplinary action by the practitioner's licensing board. The bill applies to numerous health care professional boards, including medical, nursing, pharmacy, dental, and mental health boards, and will become effective on October 1, 2025. Each licensing board is required to adopt temporary rules to implement the act's provisions, with the goal of protecting patients from potentially misleading professional representations.

https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2025/S332