Healing arts: hospitals: employment.

Existing law, the Medical Practice Act, restricts the employment of licensed physicians and surgeons and podiatrists by a corporation or other artificial legal entity, subject to specified exemptions. This bill would authorize a hospital that is owned and operated by a licensed charitable organization, that offers only pediatric subspecialty care, that, prior to January 1, 2013, employed licensees on a salary basis, and that has not charged for professional services rendered to patients, to charge for services rendered to patients, provided certain conditions are met, including, but not limited to, that the hospital does not increase the number of salaried licensees by more than 5 each year, that the hospital accepts each patient regardless of his or her ability to pay, and that the medical staff concur by an affirmative vote that the licensee's employment meets a specified standard.