October 2025

Judicial Victory in California Reinforces Importance of Physician Title Protection in Missouri 

A significant judicial victory was recently secured in California when a U.S. District Court upheld the constitutionality of California’s longstanding Truth in Advertising law. 

The statute protects patients from confusion by limiting use of the title “doctor” and prefix “Dr.” exclusively to individuals licensed in California as allopathic or osteopathic physicians.

The ruling confirms the state’s strong interest in safeguarding patients from misleading or ambiguous professional titles in healthcare. By affirming that only physicians may represent themselves with these terms in a healthcare setting, the court reinforced the critical distinction between physicians and other health professionals—a distinction rooted in the depth and rigor of physician education and training.

Here in Missouri, the Missouri State Medical Association (MSMA) has been actively pursuing the same type of patient protection. MSMA has proposed legislation modeled after California’s statute, which would clarify and strengthen Missouri’s truth-in-advertising standards for healthcare. The proposal is currently sponsored in the Missouri House of Representatives by Rep. Cathy Jo Loy.

As this California case shows, courts recognize that protecting patients through clear professional title laws is both constitutional and essential to maintaining trust in the healthcare system. MSMA will continue to lead efforts to ensure that Missouri patients can make fully informed decisions about their care.

. As always feel free to reach out to our lobbying team here at MSMA at advocacy@msma.org.