Cal. HSC § 1645 — California Code / Code hsc / Division 2 / Chapter 4.5 / Section 1645
Section 1645
Status: in_force

(a) Whenever there is a reasonable possibility, as determined by a physician and surgeon or doctor of podiatric medicine, that a blood transfusion may be necessary as a result of a medical or surgical procedure, the physician and surgeon or doctor of podiatric medicine, by means of a standardized written summary as most recently developed or revised by the State Department of Public Health pursuant to subdivision (e), shall inform, either directly or through a nurse practitioner, certified nurse midwife, or a physician assistant, who is licensed in the state and authorized to order a blood transfusion, the patient of the positive and negative aspects of receiving autologous blood and directed and nondirected homologous blood from volunteers. For purposes of this section, the term “autologous blood” includes, but is not limited to, predonation, intraoperative autologous transfusion, plasmapheresis, and hemodilution.

(b) The person who provided the patient with the standardized written summary pursuant to subdivision (a) shall note on the patient’s medical record that the standardized written summary was given to the patient.

(c) Subdivisions (a) and (b) shall not apply when medical contraindications or a life-threatening emergency exists.

(d) When there is no life-threatening emergency and there are no medical contraindications, the physician and surgeon or doctor of podiatric medicine shall allow adequate time prior to the procedure for predonation to occur. Notwithstanding this chapter, if a patient waives allowing adequate time prior to the procedure for predonation to occur, a physician and surgeon or doctor of podiatric medicine shall not incur any liability for his or her failure to allow adequate time prior to the procedure for predonation to occur.

(e) The State Department of Public Health shall develop and annually review, and if necessary revise, a standardized written summary which explains the advantages, disadvantages, risks, and descriptions of autologous blood, and directed and nondirected homologous blood from volunteer donors. These blood options shall include, but not be limited to, the blood options described in subdivision (a). The summary shall be written so as to be easily understood by a layperson.

(f) The Medical Board of California shall publish the standardized written summary prepared pursuant to subdivision (e) by the State Department of Public Health and shall distribute copies thereof, upon request, to physicians and surgeons and doctors of podiatric medicine. The Medical Board of California shall make the summary available for a fee not exceeding in the aggregate the actual costs to the State Department of Public Health and the Medical Board of California for developing, updating, publishing and distributing the summary. Physicians and surgeons and doctors of podiatric medicine shall purchase the written summary from the Medical Board of California for, or purchase or otherwise receive the written summary from the Web site of the board or any other entity for, distribution to their patients as specified in subdivision (a). Clinics, health facilities, and blood collection centers may purchase the summary if they desire.

(g) Any entity may reproduce the written summary prepared pursuant to subdivision (e) by the State Department of Public Health and distribute the written summary to physicians and surgeons and doctors of podiatric medicine.