Gov. Brown Signs 'Patient's Right to Know' For Doctor Misconduct

SACRAMENTO, CA – Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday signed the Patient's Right to Know Act, which requires doctors who've been disciplined for serious misconduct by the state licensing board to notify their patients.

After July 1, 2019, physicians placed on administrative probation for offenses such as sexual misconduct, drug abuse, criminal convictions or inappropriately prescribing narcotics will be required to notify their patients prior to a visit.

Senate Bill 1448 covers medical doctors as well as naturopathic doctors, chiropractors and acupuncturists.

Those caregivers were already legally required to notify their malpractice insurer, as well as their hospital or clinic, but there was no obligation to notify patients of their misconduct.

State Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, who sponsored the legislation, thanked the mothers, grandmothers, former students, star athletes and other survivors of doctors' abuse who testified about their traumatic and deeply personal experiences.

Hill called it part of the effort to "lift the veil of secrecy that has protected bad actors" like convicted sex offender Larry Nassar, a sports physician who pleaded guilty last year to seven counts of criminal sexual conduct in Michigan in connection with his time treating the U.S. Olympic gymnastics team.

"As the testimony of survivors showed, leaving patients in the dark about this critical information makes them vulnerable to abuse," Hill said in a statement.

• ALSO SEE: Gov. Brown Signs Media-Literacy Bill From Napa State Senator

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