Physicians and surgeons
An inquiry from the medical board
A physician's license is reviewed for more than patient complaints. A malpractice payment, a change in hospital privileges or a pharmacy's question about a prescription can each open a file.
I represent physicians, surgeons and other licensed clinicians before the state medical board: written responses, interviews, peer-review questions and, if it comes to it, the hearing.
The board is not a peer-review committee, and it does not read your answer the way a colleague would. I write for the file it keeps.
Where inquiries start
How a file gets opened
A malpractice payment
Insurers and courts report payments to national databases, and boards read those reports. A payment can bring a letter even when you did nothing wrong.
A hospital action
Limits on privileges, or a resignation during a review, may be reportable. Read the notice before you sign anything.
A prescribing review
Pharmacy flags, a patient's complaint or an audit can lead the board to ask for charts and a prescribing history.
A health concern
A board may ask for an evaluation if it has concerns about health or impairment. How you respond shapes how it is handled.
Discipline elsewhere
A reprimand in one state is often reported to every state where you hold a license.
A renewal question
An application asks whether you have ever been investigated. Answer it truthfully and carefully; I will read it with you.
Three questions physicians ask
Will this appear in a national database?
Final board actions are typically reported to national databases that hospitals and other boards check. That is a reason to care about the wording of any agreement, not only its outcome.
Do I tell my malpractice insurer?
Policies often require notice of a board inquiry, and some help with the cost. Check yours, then bring it to me.
Can I answer a short inquiry myself?
Even a two-line inquiry becomes part of the file. Send it to me first, and I will tell you in one call whether it needs a lawyer.