| (a) The board may issue a license that is limited to
public health medicine to an applicant pursuant to the authority of §155.009,
Texas Occupations Code, authorizing the board to issue a limited license
for the practice of administrative medicine.
(b) "Public health medicine," as used in this section,
means professional managerial, administrative, or supervisory activities
related to public health or the practice of medicine on behalf of
and as defined by a governmental entity serving as a public health
agency or institution, including prescriptive authority for public
health purposes, preventive interventions, diagnosis and treatment
of communicable and vaccine preventable diseases, pharmacological
interventions for smoking cessation and contraception, and other clinical
preventive medicine interventions such as those to prevent obesity
and diabetes.
(c) An applicant for a public health license must complete
the same application and meet the same requirements as an applicant
for a full Texas medical license, except:
(1) the applicant for a public health license shall
not be required to show that the applicant has been engaged in the
active practice of medicine, as defined in §163.11 of this title
(relating to Active Practice of Medicine);
(2) the applicant must be employed by or under contract
with a governmental entity serving as a public health agency or institution;
and
(3) the application shall be endorsed by a physician
affiliated with the governmental entity or the Texas Department of
State Health Services. An endorsement must include a certificate by
the endorsing physician that the applicant is of good professional
character and qualified to perform public health services as defined
by the governmental entity.
(d) The holder of a public health license shall be
required to pay the same fees and meet all other requirements for
issuance and renewal of the license as a person holding a full license
to practice medicine.
(e) The public health license holder's practice of
medicine shall be limited to activities on behalf of a governmental
entity serving as a public health agency or institution and duties
and responsibilities assigned by the governmental entity to the public
health license holder. The holder of a public health license may,
however, be an employee or under contract with governmental entities
other than or in addition to the governmental entity named in license
holder's original application for a public health license.
(f) The holder of a public health license shall be
subject to the Medical Practice Act and the Rules of the board as
a person holding a full license to practice medicine. A physician
is engaged in the practice of medicine when the physician uses medical
training and experience to make a medical decision.
(g) This section shall have no effect on any full Texas
medical license.
(h) Any clinical medicine performed under a public
health license may not be used to satisfy the active practice of medicine
requirements for full licensure under §163.11 of this title (relating
to Active Practice of Medicine).
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