Healthcare

HB 696, the Health Care Practitioner Transparency Act, requires health care providers in North Carolina to clearly state their license type, certification, or registration in all advertisements and public representations. It prohibits deceptive claims about qualifications and bans unlicensed individuals from using medical titles like "doctor," "surgeon," or specialty terms (e.g., "cardiologist") to mislead patients. The law applies to licensed professionals (doctors, nurses, dentists, etc.) who advertise services, but exempts those in non-patient settings without direct care interactions. Violations could lead to disciplinary action by their licensing board, with daily noncompliance treated as separate offenses. The bill takes effect October 1, 2025.

This bill proposes to repeal North Carolina's Certificate of Need (CON) laws, which currently require healthcare providers to obtain state approval for certain projects. These projects include building new facilities, expanding existing services, or acquiring major medical equipment. By eliminating these requirements, the bill would remove a regulatory step for various healthcare facilities, such as hospitals, nursing homes, and diagnostic centers, looking to establish or grow their operations. The bill achieves this by amending several state statutes to remove references to the Certificate of Need process.