Section 804.5.

The Legislature recognizes that various types of entities are creating, implementing, and maintaining patient safety and risk management programs that encourage early intervention in order to address known complications and other unanticipated events requiring medical care. The Legislature recognizes that some entities even provide financial assistance to individual patients to help them address these unforeseen health care concerns. It is the intent of the Legislature, however, that such financial assistance not limit a patient's interaction with, or his or her rights before, the Medical Board of California.

Any entity that provides early intervention, patient safety, or risk management programs to patients, or contracts for those programs for patients, shall not include, as part of any of those programs or contracts, any of the following:

(a) A provision that prohibits a patient or patients from contacting or cooperating with the board.

(b) A provision that prohibits a patient or patients from filing a complaint with the board.

(c) A provision that requires a patient or patients to withdraw a complaint that has been filed with the board.

(Added by Stats. 2009, Ch. 505, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2010.)