[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6681438,"mediaKeyId","2343368-6f592915bc9273ab5cdb5ba3b9a83057","parentId",2343368,"title","Medical Board of California directs staff to study notice options after debate over posting physician investigations","audioSeconds",2807,"startMs",2644000,"endMs",5451000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2343368-6f592915bc9273ab5cdb5ba3b9a83057&start=2644&end=5451","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2343368-6f592915bc9273ab5cdb5ba3b9a83057/thumbnail_2644000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6681438/California/Medical-Board-of-California-directs-staff-to-study-notice-options-after-debate-over-posting-physician-investigations","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6681438-ce6a49490813fd75f4e01b7ed435b238/orig.mp4?Expires=1771085851&Signature=VayRJy28bCtF8P4fjfoH2ep6JJdEXwd5RiP~9yNf2ZqIkm9wC31Dt64KsDv7aYnPTH8UFHAZxQHMg~UP5HcgfdmMjBoCDdMx9R~L9PwMv7OARDwiz7SLgpV6It5Xq8LURFrtXQ40A3epEfaUpOp9dyj3lp47B6yH~wxjm2iBOA2mQvRtID-shGOn~zGv7dUlHpLMg8oGxQLHsf7nFz4K~-Lreyp3yKhae9lddDHMuywNF26ZZQrJexkPTRhH4Jb-Af1bFv7ASexK9Ql93n25g8Ql94q7N5bEIxLnwFAOwqBqjx--i4LfqcG8hOK0cAgFOi8i-4hh2IaW50IW9FHYHA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Respiratory Care Board of California","date","2025-02-15T17:37:49.303Z","article","At its quarterly meeting in Fresno the Medical Board of California considered a board-member legislative proposal to place a public notice on a physician's profile when a case reaches the Health Quality Investigation Unit (HQIU). The board voted to direct staff to research how the Contractor State License Board implements its disclosure statute, to review other jurisdictions, and to drill down on the board's complaint timeline to identify where a notice might legally and practically be feasible.

Board member TJ Watkins presented the proposal and said, \"Can we agree that 3 years to wait to see anything about a doctor that is being investigated is too long?\" He urged the board to provide earlier public notice after the case had progressed beyond initial screening. Watkins said his proposal was intended to \"inform the public\" and not to \"prosecute or persecute\" licensees.

Several board members raised concerns about fairness and due process. Doctor Helzer said, \"is it appropriate for us to publish, issues on our profile website without first, vetting all of the complaints and making sure that they're, substantiated before and that we're ready to proceed with with an accusation before publishing them.\" Board members and staff discussed the current process, with one staff speaker noting that historically about 3.8 percent of complaints lead to an accusation.

Public commenters included patient advocates who urged earlier disclosure. Marion Hollingsworth, a patient safety advocate, said the board had left patients \"totally in the dark\" in at least one case and that she felt betrayed by the board's timeline. Charles Johnson, who said his wife died after a routine surgical procedure, told the board, \"Please step up. Support this action resoundingly.\"

The California Medical Association (CMA) opposed public disclosure of unsubstantiated complaints, saying the board received nearly 10,000 complaints in fiscal year 2023–24 and that \"97% of cases did not lead to accusation,\" and cautioned that posting unverified complaints would be \"misleading and highly prejudicial.\" The CMA requested the board continue its practice of disclosing only information that is part of a filed accusation.

After discussion, Doctor Tsai moved to direct staff to gather more information from the Contractor State License Board about its disclosure statute and to review other jurisdictions and to analyze the board's own complaint-processing timeline to identify feasible points for notice; the motion was seconded. The roll-call vote was unanimous: all voting members present voted yes. The motion carried.

The board did not adopt any legislative text at this meeting; the action was a directive to staff to collect information and return with analysis. Board members repeatedly said they wanted a more complete staff analysis, including legal review and statistics on case flow, before considering a rule change or legislative proposal.

The written materials for the proposal were included in the meeting packet (BRD-13-3). The board scheduled no immediate rule or statutory change and instead directed staff to return with the requested information.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Medical Board of California- Quarterly Board Meeting-February 14, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","At its quarterly meeting in Fresno the Medical Board of California considered a board-member legislative proposal to place a public notice on a physician's profile when a case reaches the Health Quality Investigation Unit (HQIU) and voted to direct staff to study options.","taxTitle","Respiratory Care Board of California, Boards and Commissions, Executive, California","taxId",76751,"location","California","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6681441,"Medical Board reviews progress on 2023–27 strategic plan, highlights new complainant-liaison unit",323,2120000,2443000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2343368-6f592915bc9273ab5cdb5ba3b9a83057&start=2120&end=2443","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2343368-6f592915bc9273ab5cdb5ba3b9a83057/thumbnail_2120000.jpg","/articles/6681441/California/Medical-Board-reviews-progress-on-202327-strategic-plan-highlights-new-complainant-liaison-unit","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6681441-76a6f45c8d3520b6442b959eb9089639/orig.mp4?Expires=1771085851&Signature=iQdF70Vqoyvy6KOeq5dmB5ClRBz-7Y4MVk7Kl02aAM0YLjDUD60tWLeQ2ga-k03ELaWjsm2LkBn9JD5lCkx9xSVAaD1ieFk4CaCfXIT6zIfO88yIEcHZTET~u6fgYKPH2qPTQjtUgh1xxAGIqa-4jF-PBS0EBBulPSO~jePbSB15EV~lqOF9dyKgMLeCIQqtClYhIOt5MetEml9-uTXmJ36gf1ALUnemxBDRkdfyjbdJbhjqrbLSwhUGuhN-5cOXgai7O1FVhWIlTunTnIYTEW1IU9MQdu8oLw8KW9snuSnj0AAeds7KyHMeinzuGTxO6Ctd9jDWcwuVGKoUhSt5aA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Leticia Robinson, a staff presenter for the Medical Board of California, reported to the board during its quarterly meeting in Fresno on the board's 2023–27 strategic plan and recent accomplishments.

Robinson said the strategic plan, prepared with the Department of Consumer Affairs SOLID planning unit, set five-year priorities for licensing, enforcement, outreach and administration. \"The strategic plan is attached to this report,\" Robinson said, and she outlined specific licensing and enforcement changes the board has implemented.

The licensing changes Robinson described include requiring electronic physician and surgeon applications, allowing applicants who previously held a California license to reapply online, removing the requirement to submit printed application documents and diplomas, and eliminating the notary section from postgraduate training program forms. On enforcement, she said the board has created a complainant-liaison unit and that staff for that unit were hired last month. \"This unit is responsible for responding to communications from the public about the complaint review and enforcement process,\" Robinson said.

Robinson said enforcement staff are also working to increase the number and effectiveness of medical expert reviewers. The board has transitioned quarterly Webex reviewer training to an online self-paced format and submitted a fiscal-year 2025–26 budget change proposal to increase expert-reviewer pay in three specialties: orthopedic surgery, pain medicine and neurological surgery. Robinson said a revised set of minimum requirements for expert reviewers has been drafted and is under review.

Robinson also described outreach and administrative work: the public affairs unit filled a long-standing vacancy in late 2024 and is developing new engagement strategies; licensing staff have increased outreach to applicants and licensees; the board participates in the Department of Consumer Affairs' Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee; hiring documents have been revised to use DEI language; and staff may add preferred pronouns to email signatures. She said the board updated its member administrative procedure manual regarding voting expectations on disciplinary actions.

A board member thanked Robinson for the presentation and for the participatory process used to develop the plan. The board opened the item for public comment; none was offered in the hearing room and several remote commenters expressed support for greater transparency and enforcement responsiveness during later agenda items.

The board did not take formal action on the strategic-plan presentation at this meeting; Robinson concluded by asking if there were questions and the board moved to the next agenda item.

Robinson's report and the strategic plan are included in the meeting packet and referenced during the board discussion.","At its quarterly meeting in Fresno the Medical Board of California received an update on its 2023–27 strategic plan, including licensing streamlining, a newly staffed complainant-liaison unit, an expert-reviewer pay proposal and several DEI initiatives.","actionData","errors"]

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Medical Board of California directs staff to study notice options after debate over posting physician investigations

Medical Board reviews progress on 2023–27 strategic plan, highlights new complainant-liaison unit