Healing arts: reporting requirements: professional liability resulting in death or personal injury.

Existing law establishes within the Department of Consumer Affairs various boards that license and regulate the practice of various professions and vocations, including those relating to the healing arts. Existing law requires each healing arts licensing board to create and maintain a central file containing an individual historical record on each person who holds a license from that board. Existing law requires that the individual historical record contain any reported judgment or settlement requiring the licensee or the licensee's insurer to pay over $3,000 in damages for any claim that injury or death was proximately caused by the licensee's negligence, error or omission in practice, or rendering unauthorized professional service. Existing law, the Pharmacy Law, provides for the licensure and regulation of pharmacists and pharmacies by the California State Board of Pharmacy, which is within the Department of Consumer Affairs. This bill would, notwithstanding the above provision, instead require the record to contain reported judgments or settlements with damages over $10,000 for persons licensed under the Pharmacy Act. Existing law requires an insurer providing professional liability insurance to a physician and surgeon, a governmental agency that self-insures a physician and surgeon or, if uninsured, a physician and surgeon himself or herself, to report to the respective licensing board information concerning settlements over $30,000, arbitration awards in any amount, and judgments in any amount in malpractice actions to the practitioner's licensing board. Existing law provides that information concerning professional liability settlements, judgments, and arbitration awards of over $10,000 in damages arising from death or personal injury must be reported to the respective licensing boards of specified healing arts practitioners including, among others, licensed professional clinical counselors, licensed dentists, and licensed veterinarians. Existing law provides that, for other specified healing arts practitioners including, among others, licensed educational psychologists, licensed nurses, and licensed pharmacists, information concerning professional liability settlements, judgments, and arbitration awards of over $3,000 in damages arising from death or personal injury shall be reported to their respective licensing boards. This bill would raise the minimum dollar amount triggering those reporting requirements from $3,000 to $10,000 for persons licensed under the Pharmacy Law.