A federal district court in California upheld a California law that restricts the use of the title: doctor or prefix Dr. to allopathic or osteopathic physicians licensed in the state. This important decision that upholds truth and transparency in healthcare credentials resulted from three nurse practitioners with a DNP degree suing on constitutional grounds. They claimed that the law violated their freedom of speech.
The court, in its decision, said that commercial speech or advertising has no first amendment protection, in particular when “advertising is inherently likely to deceive or where the record indicates that a particular form or method of advertising has in fact been deceptive.”
It’s an important victory for truth in advertising. In fact, the AMA’s Truth in Advertising survey was referenced in the court’s decision. Patients are susceptible to confusion when DNPs refer to themselves as doctors. We’re advocating for truthful, transparent credential sharing across the country’s healthcare spectrum. All practitioners should disclose their role in the physician-led model.
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