Medical Board of California.

Existing law, the Medical Practice Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of physicians and surgeons by the Medical Board of California. Existing law requires the board to post certain information on the Internet indefinitely regarding licensed physicians and surgeons and requires specified information, including any malpractice judgements, arbitration awards, and settlement information, to be posted for a period of 10 years. This bill would revise and recast these provisions, and would, among other things, require specified information regarding all current and former licensed physicians and surgeons, including enforcement actions, disciplinary actions, civil judgments, arbitration awards, and certain misdemeanor convictions, to be posted indefinitely on the board's Internet Web site. This bill would also reduce the period that settlement information is required to be posted on the Internet Web site from 10 years to 5 years. This bill would require that public letters of reprimand issued within the past 10 years by the board or the board of another jurisdiction be posted on the board's Internet Web site. Existing law authorizes the board, by stipulation or settlement with the affected physician and surgeon, to issue a public letter of reprimand after it has conducted an investigation or inspection as specified, rather than filing or prosecuting a formal accusation. Existing law requires the board to disclose information regarding any enforcement actions taken against a licensee, including, among other things, public letters of reprimand issued, to an inquiring member of the public, as specified. This bill would make a clarifying and conforming change regarding the disclosure of public letters of reprimand to an inquiring member of the public by deleting a conflicting provision that authorizes, rather than requires, the board to disclose those public letters of reprimand.