ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Phoenix, Arizona
Requires the Allopathic Board of Medical Examiners
(BOMEX) to consider previous complaints and disciplinary actions against a
licensee when determining disciplinary action.
The objective and primary purpose of BOMEX is to license and regulate doctors in order to protect the public from incompetent, unqualified or inappropriate practice by physicians who may be medically, mentally or physically unable to safely engage in the practice of allopathic medicine, or may be guilty of unprofessional conduct. As the state’s largest health regulatory board, BOMEX has the statutory responsibility to examine and license medical doctors, and to enforce the standards of the practice of medicine. Currently, BOMEX licenses and monitors more than 15,000 doctors and 550 physician assistants statewide, handles more than 1,000 complaints each year and determines and administers disciplinary actions in the event of proven violations of the medical practice acts.
According to BOMEX,
approximately 2,887 physicians receive multiple complaints on their
record. Of these physicians, 1,832 have
three or more complaints. Statute does
not authorize or require BOMEX to consider past complaints or disciplinary
actions against a licensee when determining disciplinary action. According to BOMEX, board members do examine
records of past complaints and disciplinary actions on a case by case
basis. S.B. 1310 ensures past
complaints and disciplinary actions are used in all cases by requiring BOMEX to
consider past complaints and actions against a licensee when determining
disciplinary action.
According to
BOMEX, there are no costs associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Requires BOMEX to consider previous complaints and disciplinary actions against a licensee when determining disciplinary action.
2. Provides for a general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Staff
February 9, 2001