California’s Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System, or C.U.R.E.S. (CURES) for short, is a prescription monitoring program aggregating DEA Schedule II, II and IV prescriptions. Maintained by the California Department of Justice and primarily used by physicians, podiatrists, dentists, physician assistants, optometrists, nurse practitioners, pharmacies and pharmacists, C.U.R.E.S. represents a massive, relatively
Medical Board of California
Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) Division of Investigation
By Fredrick Ray on
Posted in Professional License Law
The Department of Consumer Affairs, or DCA, is a California state government department that is the umbrella organization over almost all California state licensing agencies, from the Medical Board of California to the California Board of Accountancy. If a California licensing agency receives a complaint or notice of alleged unprofessional conduct alleged to…
Trends in Medical Board License Defense in California
By Fredrick Ray on
Posted in California Medical Board Licensing
The California Medical Board received 8,679 complaints in fiscal year 2015-16 according to its latest comprehensive enforcement activity report. During that same period, 299 accusations were filed by the Medical Board of California. Medical license defense cases came from complaints overwhelmingly from the public, but also from complaints from license and professional groups and other…
If the Agency Says You Can’t Do Better at Hearing, Don’t Believe Them!
By John Bishop on
Posted in Professional License Law
As professional license defense attorneys, we try to negotiate a settlement offer for our clients in every case. The more options we can provide to our clients, the better, and some clients want to avoid the cost and uncertainty of hearing no matter what. Sometimes the agency digs in against the client and refuses to…
Avoiding Medical Board Discipline Triggered by an 805 Report
By Fredrick Ray on
Posted in California Medical Board Licensing
Under Business and Professions Code section 805, a hospital peer review committee makes a required report to the Medical Board of California. An “805 Report,” as it’s called, is typically filed if a physician is denied hospital privileges or loses hospital privileges for longer than 30 days. Suspensions longer than 14 days can require…
Medical Board of California Seeks to Punish a Single DUI Conviction
By Fredrick Ray on
Posted in California Medical Board Licensing
In California professional licensing law, a second or greater drunk driving conviction seems to invite certain discipline. However, in certain circumstances, the Medical Board of California has been known to investigate and discipline physicians for a single drunk driving conviction. Although there is but a single conviction, the Board invariably seeks to paint the physician…
Medical Board Investigations Closed Without Discipline
By Fredrick Ray on
Posted in California Medical Board Licensing
One of our most common case types is the Board investigation into criminal convictions suffered by licensees. We are very proud of our track record resulting in the almost all of these cases being closed without any adverse action by the Board. Only attorneys who regularly handle Board investigations can anticipate the Board’s concerns and…