36-7-17. Practice as individual or partner required--Exception for authorized corporate practice--Violation--Optometrist not precluded from serving as officer or director of health maintenance organization.

Every optometrist in this state shall furnish the board satisfactory evidence that the licensee practices optometry as a profession, in an individual personal capacity under the optometrist's own name or as a partner of another licensed optometrist and not as a corporation, limited liability company or agent, employee, officer, member, or partner of a corporation or limited liability company, except where a practice as an officer, employee, member, or agent of a corporation is established under the terms of chapter 47-11B. A violation of this section is a Class 2 misdemeanor.

Nothing in this section precludes a licensed optometrist from serving as a shareholder, officer, or director of a corporation established under the terms of chapter 58-41 as a health maintenance organization, a preferred provider organization, individual practices association, or other form of entity whatever established for group health care purposes.

Source: SDC 1939, § 27.0704 (7); SL 1941, ch 125, § 2; SL 1972, ch. 249, § 24; SL 1987, ch 269, § 1; SL 1992, ch 158, § 77; SL 1993, ch 344, § 39J; SL 2022, ch 147, § 9.