Trenton – To better inform patients seeking and receiving medical care, Governor Phil Murphy today signed into law Senate President Steve Sweeney’s Health Care Transparency Act, which will create new identification requirements for health care professionals and set new regulations for audio and visual advertisements.
“Just as people deserve to know the food they buy or the cars they drive are safe and regulated, they deserve to know the medical treatments they are receiving are being performed by a qualified professional,” said Senator Sweeney (D-Gloucester/Salem/Cumberland). “This is a ‘truth in advertising’ law for medical care and advice that is designed to ensure that health care providers clearly and honestly state their level of training, education and licensing.”
Under the new law, any advertisement of health care professionals would require the disclosure of the type of professional license and professional degree issued to the professional.
The law, S-2465/A-4143, will also require health care professionals to wear a name tag or identification during all in-person patient encounters that includes their name, their professional license and degree, as well as a recent photograph if they are providing patient care at a hospital, unless otherwise directed by hospital administrators.