§ 4464 - Unprofessional conduct - Vermont Statutes

§ 4464. Unprofessional conduct

(a) A licensee or applicant shall not engage in unprofessional conduct.

(b) Unprofessional conduct means the following conduct and the conduct set forth in section 129a of Title 3:

(1) Willfully making or filing false reports or records in the practice of audiology, dispensing hearing aids or speech-language pathology, willfully impeding or obstructing the proper making or filing of reports or records, or willfully failing to file the proper report or record;

(2) Aiding or abetting a person, directly or indirectly, to commit an unauthorized practice;

(3) Giving, offering to give, or causing to be given, directly or indirectly, money or anything of value to any person who advises another in a professional capacity, as an inducement for the professional to influence others to purchase goods or services from the licensee;

(4) Advertising or making a representation which is intended or has a tendency to deceive the public, including:

(A) advertising a particular type of service, equipment or hearing aid when the particular service, equipment or hearing aid is not available;

(B) stating or implying that the use of a hearing aid will retard the progression of a hearing impairment;

(C) advertising or making any statement related to the practice of speech-language pathology or audiology which is intended to or tends to deceive or mislead the public;

(D) using or promoting or causing the use of any misleading, deceiving, improbable, or untruthful advertising matter, promotional literature, testimonial guarantee, warranty, label, brand, insignia, or any other representation;

(5) Engaging in any unfair or deceptive act or practice within the meaning of section 2453 of Title 9, relating to consumer fraud;

(6) Willfully failing to honor any representation, promise, agreement or warranty to a client or consumer;

(7) Professional negligence or malpractice;

(8) Any of the following, except when reasonably undertaken in an emergency situation in order to protect life or health:

(A) practicing or offering to practice beyond the scope permitted by law;

(B) accepting and performing professional or occupational responsibilities which the licensee knows or has reason to know the licensee is not competent to perform; or

(C) performing professional or occupational services which have not been authorized by the consumer or his or her legal representative;

(9) Failing to make available, upon request of a person using the licensee's services, copies of records or documents in the possession or under the control of the licensee, when those records or documents have been prepared in connection with the furnishing of services or goods to the requesting persons;

(10) Sexual harassment of a patient or client;

(11) Engaging in a sexual act as defined in section 3251 of Title 13 with a patient;

(12) Conviction of a crime related to the practice of audiology or speech-language pathology;

(13) Discouraging clients or consumers in any way from exercising their right to a refund within a 45-day trial period, unreasonably delaying payment of such refunds as may be due, or deducting amounts from refunds beyond those allowed by law;

(14) Failing to inform a consumer prior to sale of a hearing aid that a medical evaluation of hearing loss prior to purchasing a hearing aid is in the consumer's best health interest;

(15) Engaging in fraud in connection with any state or federally-assisted medical assistance programs; or

(16) Violating any part of the Code of Ethics of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. (Added 2001, No. 151 (Adj. Sess.), § 45, eff. July 1, 2003.)