Medical services: credit or loan.

Existing law prohibits a healing arts licensee, as defined, or an employee or agent of that licensee, from charging treatment or costs to a open-end credit or loan extended by a third party that is arranged for or established in the licensee's office without first providing a specified written or electronic notice and a specified list of which treatment and services are being charged. Existing law requires a licensee, or an employee or agent of that licensee, to refund the lender of any payment received through credit or a loan extended by a third party that is arranged for or established in the licensee's office for treatment that has not been rendered or costs that have not been incurred. Existing law also requires a licensee to give a patient a specified written treatment plan before arranging for, or establishing credit or a loan extended by a third party, as provided. This bill would remove the condition that the open-end credit or loan be arranged for or established in the licensee's office in order for the provisions described above to apply. The bill, among other things, would also require the licensee to give a patient that treatment plan before referring to establishing credit or a loan extended by a third party. The bill would define "refer to," for these purposes, as giving a patient information about a specific open-end credit product or company.