California Medical Corporation Name Requirements

You might think that naming a physician group practice or you own practice is a simple process. However, the California medical name requirements established by the state and Medical Board of California turns naming into a more complicated activity.

You cannot randomly set up a medical name and start accepting clients. Instead, you need to follow specific legal requirements and make sure you have followed the proper legal guidelines.

You will need to know what name you will going to use before you set yourself up as a medical corporation.

Because you have better things to do with your time, my legal staff can assist you in naming your business and meeting California’s naming guidelines. All you need to do is book a call to speak to us here: https://mollaeilaw.com. 

Table of Content

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NO.	Content
1.	Consult with an Attorney to Choose a Name and Establish Your Practice
2.	How to Meet California Medical Corporation Name Requirements for a DBA Name
3.	Why You Want to Form a Medical Corporation and Select a Name
4.	California Medical Corporation Name Requirements for a DBA Name
5.	A DBA Can Help Your Market Your Brand and Practice
6.	Obtaining a Fictional Name Permit (FNP)
7.	Satisfying the FNP Process
8.	Do California Medical Corporation Name Requirements include FNP Processing Times?
9.	What Happens Next?

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If you have your heart set on establishing any type of medical practice in California, you cannot form an entity, or namely a professional corporation, without a name. Therefore, your first order of business will be to find and check on a name for your professional practice.

 

Consult with an Attorney to Choose a Name and Establish Your Practice

If you want to name your practice under a DBA (doing business as name) or fictitious name, you have to know some of the legal rules in this respect. I can assist you in making sure your practice’s DBA name is properly chosen and submitted.

Contact me for an appointment and consultation. Email sam@mollaeilaw.com today.

 

How to Meet California Medical Corporation Name Requirements for a DBA Name

The information presented below will give you more details on meeting California medical corporation name requirements, especially with respect to setting up a fictitious or DBA name. 

 

Why You Want to Form a Medical Corporation and Select a Name

Naming your medical corporation is important, as it will allow you to enjoy some major advantages of incorporation. When you set up a California medical corporation, you form a separate entity.

Therefore, any services you perform or treatments you provide are done on behalf of your corporation. 

Also, when you sign agreements, they are signed on behalf of the corporation instead of yourself or others. A medical corporation may be owned by one or more physicians.

A non-physician may also be an owner in a medical corporation. However, a physician or physicians must possess majority ownership in the practice or the medical services it provides.

When a physician engages in a medical practice, without incorporation, and works own their own, they are working as a sole proprietor. This can be risky, as you can be sued for your personal assets.

However, if you set yourself up as a corporation with a subchapter S organization, you can enjoy pass-through taxation and greatly reduce your liability risk. 

By setting yourself up as a medical corporation and giving it a name, you cannot be sued by a patient or other party personally. Any and all transactions are performed under the jurisdiction of the corporation.

Email sam@mollaeilaw.com or to book a call to speak to us here: https://mollaeilaw.com/start

 

California Medical Corporation Name Requirements for a DBA Name

In most instances, you probably would rather do business using a DBA name for your medical corporation, especially if you run a clinic, an emergency care center, or have combined services with another physician or physicians. 

 

A DBA Can Help Your Market Your Brand and Practice

You will need to get a permit for a fictitious business name if you wish to practice under a name that is different than what is presented on your medical license. 

Therefore, group practices often must obtain a DBA name if they want to use a name other than the name on their licenses for ads, signage, announcements, or public communications.

Let’s look at an example. Say, Joseph Smith, M.D. wants to form a medical corporation. He can use his name if he does not want to advertise or communicate under a different name for his practice.

However, if he wants to advertise his practice under the Smith Medical Group, he will need to secure a fictional name permit or FNP for this purpose.

If you are only going to practice under the name on your license, you are basically in the clear, and can set up your medical corporation. I can help you make sure about naming and registration when you set up a medical corporation.

Learn more about the process mpe. Email sam@mollaeilaw.com.

 

Obtaining a Fictional Name Permit (FNP)

If you do intend to practice under a separate name, you will need to get a fictional name permit (FNP) and make it known that you plan to use another name. Otherwise, you are violating the law, and will be cited for unprofessional conduct Medical Board of California.

 

Satisfying the FNP Process

When you set up a medical corporation and name it, your activities are regulated by the Medical Board of California. To register for an FNP, you must satisfy the following rules:

1. An applicant, applicants, or shareholders of the corporation must hold current physician or surgeon licenses.
2. The professional practice must be owned and managed by the applicants.
3. The fictitious business name must not be used to mislead, confuse, or deceive.
4. After an FNP is issued, the applicant must display written notice of the name’s eligibility for the practice’s employees and patients to see. The notice must be presented in all the places required by the permit.
5. The California licensing program may suspend or remove an FNP if the medical corporation does comply with certain legal provisions.
6. If a licensee’s certificate is suspended or revoked, the FNP automatically becomes invalid.

You need to make sure you follow the guidelines set by the Medical Board of California to stay compliant and keep your FNP in force. The Board requires that you renew your FNP every two years.

 

Do California Medical Corporation Name Requirements include FNP Processing Times?

California medical corporation name requirements for fictitious name applications are received in order of date, and therefore processing takes from four to six weeks after receipt of an application. 

After review, the applicant will receive an approval for an FNP or a letter that explains specific issues. The Medical Board of California closely tracks DBA names to ensure that a similar name is not issued.

If a name discrepancy exits, medical board FNP coordinators work closely with applicants via email, phone, or fax to find a substitute name. Any application sent for an FNP without the processing fee will automatically be returned to the applicant.

 

What To Do Next

If you want to set up a medical corporation and name it, you will need to go over your plans with a top competent business attorney. Contact me online. Email sam@mollaeilaw.com today.

Email sam@mollaeilaw.com or to book a call to speak to us here: https://mollaeilaw.com/start