Members of the California Medical Association (CMA) Organized Medical Staff Section (OMSS) receive a free, online subscription to the California Physician’s Legal Handbook (CPLH).

An invaluable resource unlike any other, CPLH is the premier California health law publication with comprehensive legal information, including current laws, regulations and court decisions related to the practice of medicine. It is updated yearly by CMA attorneys to include the most recent changes in health law. CPLH not only provides legal information to help physicians, medical office managers, risk management groups and legal practitioners understand and comply with the law, but it also helps shape the law by approaching issues from a physician's perspective.

CPLH has been updated for 2021 and new sections on several areas of California health law. Chapters include (but are not limited to):

• ADA/Discrimination (now has expanded information about equal access to health care services)
• Adverse Events
• Allied Health Professionals
• Antitrust
• Business Prohibitions/ Disclosures (includes sections of Corporate Practice of Medicine Bar)
• Consent
• Drug Prescribing/Dispensing (contains details about the reclassification of hydrocodone and new DEA rules on controlled substances disposal)
• eMedicine (includes a new document about on patient portals, email and online advice)
• Emergency Transfer
• Expert Witness Issues
• End-of-Life Issues (with updated sections on Advance Directives and POLST)
• Fraud and Abuse (includes analysis of anti-referral prohibitions and Medicare RACs)
• Managed Care (new expanded document regarding ACA coverage requirements)
• Medical Board
• Medical Practice: Physician Practice Models (includes expanded sections on ACOs, Foundations, Concierge Practice and Direct Primary Care Models)
• Medical Practice: Workforce Issues
• Medical Records (four chapters on HIPAA, Management, Access and Special Confidentiality Requirements)
• Medical Staffs
• Medicare and Medi-Cal (includes updates and changes under ACA)
• OSHA/Office Safety
• Outpatient Facilities
• Physician-Patient Relationship (includes sections of establishment and termination of physician-patient relationship)
• Peer Review
• Professional Liability
• Reimbursement (updates to reflect changes under ACA and state laws)
• Reporting Requirements
• Warning Obligations
• Workers’ Compensation