Healing arts: false or misleading advertising.

Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of the practice of various healing arts practitioners by boards within the Department of Consumer Affairs. Existing law makes it unlawful for those practitioners to disseminate a false, fraudulent, misleading, or deceptive statement and defines those terms for its purposes. Existing law prohibits a physician and surgeon from making a statement in public communications that he or she is board certified unless that board meets certain requirements. This bill would further prohibit the use of additional terms by a physician or surgeon with respect to board of certification, except as provided. The bill would also make findings and declarations regarding the need for legislation pertaining to misleading advertisements and statements by physicians and surgeons.