The Legislature finds and declares that:
There are a multitude of professional degrees using the term "doctor," including Medical Doctor (M.D.); Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.); Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.); Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (D.P.M.); Doctor of Optometry (O.D.); Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.); Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.); Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); and other designations which may be used by health care practitioners.
Choosing a health care provider is one of the most important decisions a patient makes, which should be supported by full disclosure from their health care provider. There are differences regarding the training and qualifications required to earn the professional degrees described in and subject to this chapter. These differences often concern the training and skills necessary to correctly detect, diagnose, prevent and treat serious health care conditions.
There is a compelling state interest in patients being promptly and clearly informed of the actual training and qualifications of their health care practitioners who provide health care services. This chapter aims to provide public protection against potentially misleading and deceptive health care advertising that cause patients to have undue expectations regarding their medical treatments and outcomes.