(a) It is unlawful for any person to act with willful or wanton disregard for a person’s safety that exposes the person to a substantial risk of, or that causes, great bodily injury by affecting the integrity of a clinical laboratory test or examination result through improper collection, handling, storage, or labeling of the biological specimen or the erroneous transcription or reporting of clinical laboratory test or examination results.
(b) Notwithstanding Section 1287, a violation of this section shall be punished as follows:
(1) A first conviction is punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for a period of not more than one year, or by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code for 16 months, or two or three years, by a fine not exceeding fifty thousand dollars ($50,000), or by both this imprisonment and fine.
(2) A second or subsequent conviction is punishable by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code for two, four, or six years, or by a fine not exceeding fifty thousand dollars ($50,000), or by both this imprisonment and fine.
(c) The enforcement remedies provided under this section are not exclusive, and shall not preclude the use of any other criminal or civil remedy. However, an act or omission punishable in different ways by this section and any other provision of law shall not be punished under more than one provision. Under those circumstances, the penalty to be imposed shall be determined as set forth in Section 654 of the Penal Code.
(Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 15, Sec. 7. (AB 109) Effective April 4, 2011. Operative October 1, 2011, by Sec. 636 of Ch. 15, as amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 39, Sec. 68.)