90-40.2. Management arrangements.

(a) The following definitions apply in this section:

(1) Ancillary personnel. - Dental hygienists or dental assistants who assist licensed dentists in providing direct patient care.

(2) Clinical. - Of or relating to the activities of a dentist as described in G.S. 90-29(b)(1)-(10).

(3) Management arrangement. - Any one or more agreements or arrangements, alone or together, whether written or oral, between a management company and a dentist or professional entity whereby the management company provides services to assist in the development, promotion, delivery, financing, support, or administration of the dentist's or professional entity's dental practice.

(4) Management company. - Any individual, business corporation, nonprofit corporation, partnership, limited liability company, limited partnership, or other legal entity that is not a professional entity or dentist which provides through one or more contractual arrangements any combination of management or business support services, including, but not limited to, accounting and financial services; collection, billing, and payment services; file and records maintenance; human resources services; assistance with the acquisition of fixed assets, including the locating and procurement of office space, facilities, and equipment; maintenance of offices, equipment, furniture, and fixtures; marketing and practice development; information technology; compliance with applicable federal, State, and local laws; and clerical services.

(5) Professional entity. - A professional corporation, nonprofit corporation, partnership, professional limited liability company, professional limited partnership, or other entity or aggregation of individuals that is licensed or certified or otherwise explicitly permitted to practice dentistry under North Carolina General Statutes.

(6) Unlicensed person. - Any person or entity other than a dentist licensed in this State or registered professional entity authorized to provide dental services under this Article.

(b) A management arrangement executed on or after January 1, 2013, is invalid unless there appears on the instrument evidencing, directly above or below the space or spaces provided for the signature of the parties, in such type size or distinctive marking that it appears more clearly and conspicuously than anything else on the document:

"WARNING - YOU HAVE THE RIGHT AND ARE ENCOURAGED TO HAVE THIS CONTRACT REVIEWED BY YOUR OWN LEGAL COUNSEL PRIOR TO SIGNING."

(c) No member of the Board shall be subject to examination in connection with any investigation, inquiry, or interview related to the Board's review of any management arrangement.

(d) For actions brought under G.S. 90-40.1, the venue shall be the superior court of any county in which acts constituting unlicensed or unlawful practice of dentistry are alleged to have been committed or in which there appear reasonable grounds to believe that they will be committed, in the county where at least one defendant in the action resides, or in Wake County.

(e) If investigative information in the possession of the Board, its employees, or agents indicates that a crime may have been committed, the Board may report the information to the appropriate law enforcement agency or district attorney of the district in which the offense was committed.

(f) The Board shall cooperate with and assist law enforcement agencies and the district attorney conducting a criminal investigation or prosecution of a licensee or person engaged in the unauthorized practice of dentistry, including a management company, by providing information that is relevant to the criminal investigation or prosecution to the investigating agency or district attorney. Information disclosed by the Board to an investigative agency or district attorney remains confidential and may not be disclosed by the investigating agency except as necessary to further the investigation.

(g) Nothing in this section shall affect the validity of any of the Board's rules or regulations which were in effect as of the effective date of this section, except to the extent that such rules or regulations directly conflict with the provisions of this section.