Curtis Harris, M.D.
President
Oklahoma State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision
5104 N. Francis, Suite C
Oklahoma City, OK 73118

Dear Dr. Harris:

We, the undersigned, strenuously oppose the rule change to OAC 435:10-7-2 (pertaining to physician board certification) and request that you and the other Board Members of the OSBMLS to vote against its passage.

We, the undersigned, oppose the rule change because it is a violation of the freedom of speech right afforded all Americans under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

We, the undersigned, believe decisions regarding physician advertising raise important policy concerns, such as preventing statements that would mislead lay people and potentially undermine public trust in physicians and the health care system. While deceptive advertising by physicians should be prohibited, Courts and other state policy makers should be careful not to restrict unnecessarily the dissemination of truthful and non-misleading advertising that may help consumers make more informed choices.

We, the undersigned, believe that overly broad restrictions of truthful and non-deceptive information are likely to harm consumers of medical services by denying them useful information and impeding competition among physicians. Accordingly, consumers are better off when policy makers address concerns about potentially deceptive advertising with narrowly tailored restrictions.

For the foregoing reasons, we the undersigned, urge the Oklahoma State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision to re-examine the reasoning behind this proposed rule change and vote against it.

Thank you for your consideration.