Sec 32-854.01. Unprofessional conduct

Unprofessional conduct includes the following conduct, whether it occurs in this state or elsewhere:

1. Requesting, listing, accepting or receiving any rebate or commission for prescribing or recommending any footwear, drug, medicine, or other article to the licensee's patients.

2. Prescribing, dispensing or pretending to use, in treating any patient, any secret remedial agent, or manifesting or promoting its use in any way, or guaranteeing or implying to guarantee any treatment, therapy or remedy.

3. Representing that a disease or infirmity can be permanently cured, or that any disease, ailments or infirmities can be cured by secret method, procedure, treatment, medicine or devices, if this is not true.

4. Practicing podiatry under a trade name, under the name of another podiatrist, under any other name than that which appears on the practitioner's license, or under any title that misrepresents the practice of podiatry.

5. Advertising in a false, deceptive or misleading manner or advertising the quality of podiatric service.

6. Employing a solicitor to obtain business.

7. Fee splitting under any guise whatsoever.

8. Failing to report as required in section 32-852.01, subsection A.

9. Failing to obtain written informed consent from a patient before the licensee performs any surgical procedure on the patient.

10. Committing a felony, whether or not involving moral turpitude, or a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude. In either case, conviction by any court of competent jurisdiction is conclusive evidence that the licensee committed the crime.

11. Failing or refusing to maintain adequate records on a patient for at least seven years or failing or refusing to make the records available to a physician or another podiatrist within twenty-one days after request and receipt of proper authorization.

12. Habitual intemperance in the use of alcohol or habitual substance abuse.

13. Use of controlled substances or prescription-only drugs except if provided by a physician for use during a prescribed lawful course of treatment.

14. Prescribing controlled substances to members of the podiatrist's immediate family.

15. Providing any controlled substance or prescription-only drug for other than accepted therapeutic purposes.

16. Gross malpractice, repeated malpractice or any malpractice resulting in the death of a patient.

17. Refusing to divulge to the board on demand the means, method, procedure, modality of treatment or medicine used in the treatment of a disease, injury, ailment or infirmity.

18. Violating any federal or state law applicable to the practice of podiatry.

19. The refusal, revocation or suspension of a license by any other licensing jurisdiction for inability to safely and skillfully practice podiatry or for unprofessional conduct as defined by that jurisdiction that directly or indirectly corresponds to any act of unprofessional conduct as prescribed by this section or any act under section 32-852.

20. Any conduct or practice that is or might be harmful or dangerous to the health of the patient.

21. Violating any formal order, probation or stipulation issued by the board pursuant to this chapter.

22. Violating or attempting to violate, directly or indirectly, or assisting in or abetting the violation of or conspiring to violate any provision of this chapter.

23. Charging or collecting a clearly excessive fee. In determining the reasonableness of a fee, the fee customarily charged in the locality for similar services shall be considered in light of modifying factors, such as the time required, the complexity of the service and the skill requisite to perform the service properly. This paragraph does not apply if there is a clear written contract for a fixed fee between the podiatrist and the patient that has been entered into before the licensee provides the service.

24. Obtaining a fee by fraud, deceit or misrepresentation.

25. Charging a fee for services not rendered.

26. Failing to dispense drugs and devices in compliance with article 4 of this chapter.