(a) Health care prescribers, their employees, agents, or independent contractors shall not conduct in-person solicitation, telemarketing, or telephonic solicitation of victims of an accident or disaster, for the purpose of marketing services of the healing arts related to the accident or disaster, unless:
Terms Used In Tennessee Code 63-1-129
Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
written: includes printing, typewriting, engraving, lithography, and any other mode of representing words and letters. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(1) The health care prescriber has a family or prior professional relationship with the victim; or(2) The solicitation is carried out more than thirty (30) days after the date of the accident or disaster.(b) Health care prescribers shall maintain:
(1) Telemarketing transcripts for a period of two (2) years following their utilization; and(2) A log of contacts for a period of two (2) years following a telemarketing encounter.(c) This section does not prohibit solicitation by targeted direct-mail advertising or other forms of written, radio, or television advertising, as long as the advertising does not involve coercion, duress, or harassment and is not false, deceptive, or misleading.(d)(1) Any agreement to pay a health care prescriber for services that were rendered by the health care prescriber as a direct result of a violation of this section is void and unenforceable. No person may collect or pursue collection for any debt arising from such an agreement.(2) A patient or person who paid on behalf of a patient is entitled to a complete refund of any money paid for services that were rendered by a health care prescriber as a direct result of a violation of this section.(e) The division is authorized to petition any circuit or chancery court having jurisdiction to enjoin any person who is violating this section. No injunction bond shall be required of the division in such proceedings, and jurisdiction is conferred upon the circuit and chancery courts of this state to hear such cases.
