(a) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:

(1) “Health facility” means a health facility, as defined in § 1250 of the Health and Safety Code, exclusive of a hospital defined in subdivision (a) or (b) of that section.

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(2) “Residential care facility” means a residential facility, as defined in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of § 1502 of the Health and Safety Code, licensed by the State Department of Social Services, including, but not limited to, the following:

(A) Adult residential facilities.

(B) Adult residential facilities for persons with special health care needs.

(C) Residential care facilities for the chronically ill.

(D) Residential care facilities for the elderly.

(E) Continuing care retirement communities.

(F) Social rehabilitation facilities.

(3) “Home residence” means the primary residence of an individual who is restricted by a disabling physical or mental condition. “Home residence” does not include a health facility, as defined in § 1250 of the Health and Safety Code, or a community care facility, as defined in subdivision (a) of § 1502 of the Health and Safety Code, but does include an individual condominium unit, apartment, single-family home, cooperative unit, mobilehome, or trailer, if it is used as a residence.

(b) (1) An optometrist who is certified as a therapeutic pharmaceutical agent pursuant to Section 3041.3 may, in the form and manner prescribed by the board, submit an application to the board for a home residence permit, and pay all applicable fees prescribed in Section 3152. The board shall, upon application and payment of the fee prescribed in Section 3152, issue a home residence permit to an optometrist certified as a therapeutic pharmaceutical agent pursuant to Section 3041.3. A home residence permit authorizes the holder to engage in the practice of optometry at a home residence as specified in this section.

(2) A home residence permit shall expire on the same date the licensee‘s optometry license expires. A home residence optometrist may renew the permit by submitting an application, in the form and manner prescribed by the board, to the board for renewal, and paying any applicable fees prescribed in Section 3152.

(3) A person engaging in the temporary practice of optometry, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 3070, is not required to obtain a home residence permit in order to engage in the temporary practice of optometry at a home residence.

(c) An optometrist may engage in the practice of optometry at any health facility or residential care facility, and in a home residence, if all of the following requirements are satisfied:

(1) The optometrist maintains a primary business office, separate from the health facility, residential care facility, or home residence, that meets all of the following requirements:

(A) Is open to the public during normal business hours by telephone and for purposes of billing services or access to patient records.

(B) Is licensed to the optometrist or the employer of the optometrist as a local business with the city or county in which it is located.

(C) Is registered by the optometrist with the Board of Optometry.

(D) Is owned or leased by the optometrist or by the employer of the optometrist.

(E) Is not located in or connected with a residential dwelling.

(2) The optometrist maintains or discloses patient records in the following manner:

(A) Records are maintained and made available to the patient in such a way that the type and extent of services provided to the patient are conspicuously disclosed. The disclosure of records shall be made at or near the time services are rendered and shall be maintained at the primary business office specified in paragraph (1).

(B) The optometrist complies with all federal and state laws and regulations regarding the maintenance and protection of medical records, including, but not limited to, the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (42 U.S.C. § 300gg).

(C) Pursuant to Section 3007, the optometrist keeps all necessary records for a minimum of seven years from the date of service in order to disclose fully the extent of services furnished to a patient. Any information included on a printed copy of an original document to a patient shall be certified by the optometrist as being true, accurate, and complete.

(D) If a prescription is issued to a patient, records shall be maintained for each prescription as part of the patient’s chart, including all of the following information about the optometrist:

(i) Name.

(ii) Optometrist license number.

(iii) The place of practice and the primary business office.

(iv) Description of the goods and services for which the patient is charged and the amount charged.

(E) A copy of any referral or order requesting optometric services for a patient from the health facility’s or residential care facility’s administrator, director of social services, the attending physician and surgeon, the patient, or a family member shall be kept in the patient’s medical record.

(3) The optometrist possesses and appropriately uses the instruments and equipment required for all optometric services and procedures performed within the health facility, residential care facility, or home residence.

(4) The optometrist provides each patient and, if applicable, the patient’s caregiver, a consumer notice prescribed by the board that includes the following:

(A) The name, license number, primary telephone number, and primary business address of the optometrist.

(B) Information for filing a complaint with the board.

(d) An optometrist who satisfies all of the requirements in this section for the practice of optometry at a health facility, residential care facility, or home residence shall not be required to comply with Section 3070 with regard to providing notification to the board of each health facility, residential care facility, or home residence at which the optometrist practices.

(e) Before engaging in the practice of optometry at a home residence, an optometrist shall provide each patient and, if applicable, the patient’s caregiver, both of the following:

(1) A consumer notice prescribed by the board that includes any information the board deems appropriate to safeguard the public from substandard optometric care, fraud, and other violations of the act. The patient, or, if applicable, the patient’s caregiver, shall sign the consumer notice.

(2) An authorization to release the patient’s medical information related to the optometrist’s provision of optometry services to the board. The authorization shall disclose that the patient’s authorization to release medical information to the board is voluntary and that the medical information shall be used by the board only to investigate complaints and to conduct the board’s enforcement duties under the act.

(f) An optometrist subject to subdivision (e) shall maintain in the patient’s file a copy of the signed consumer notice described in paragraph (1) of, and, if signed, the signed authorization described in paragraph (2) of, subdivision (e).

(g) The board may adopt regulations to conduct quality assurance reviews for optometrists engaging in the practice of optometry at a home residence.

(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 425, Sec. 1. (AB 458) Effective January 1, 2020.)