The AOA and the Arizona Osteopathic Medical Association recently launched a grassroots campaign encouraging the Arizona State Legislature to support a bill (H.B. 2187) that promotes truth in advertising in health care. This legislation is crucial for ensuring that patients understand their providers’ credentials and can make informed decisions about their care.
This bill will help eliminate misleading information in health care by establishing clear standards for provider advertising and promoting accurate representations of physician medical specialty certifications. The campaign states that patients are frequently confused about the differences between various types of healthcare providers, often mistaking non-physician “doctors” for physicians (DOs/MDs). H.B. 2187 addresses this by requiring health care providers to display their educational credentials as well as their licensure types.