Physicians
Physician licensing defense encompasses the legal representation of medical doctors in Texas. These doctors may find themselves facing scrutiny from the Texas Medical Board, which holds authority over the licensing procedure for medical doctors and is responsible for imposing penalties and sanctions when a doctor is found to have violated the law.
The disciplinary process for a physician faced with a Board complaint or an applicant seeking licensure is daunting. Each step requires an attorney who can guide a dentist through the process and provide sound, thoughtful legal advice at each step so the dentist is in the best position to understand the consequences of each action and make the best decision for him or her, depending on his or her unique facts.
As a previous General Counsel for the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners (TSBDE), Assistant General Counsel for the Texas Board of Nursing (BON), and former State of Texas prosecutor exclusively dealing within the area of administrative law, Phong Phan, Esq., has focused his practice on defending medical professionals against Board complaints and disciplinary proceedings throughout the State of Texas.
To address your specific requirements and arrange for a free consultation, please contact us online or call (512) 524-1620 today.
Understanding the Board Complaint Process
Types of Complaints
Complaints arrive at the Texas Medical Board from different sources, but the primary source of complaints is based on those that the physician knows well, either a former patient or a current patient. In the firm’s daily practice, the firm sees complaints involving documentation or record-keeping, non-therapeutic prescribing, failure to complete continuing medical courses as required, prescribing to known abusers, criminal conduct, and treatment that failed to conform to the minimum standard of care.
The Initial Texas Medical Board Complaint Letter
The Initial Texas Medical Board Complaint Letter”]Physicians in the State of Texas, once a complaint is received at the Texas Medical Board, receive a notice of complaint letter from the Texas Medical Board. The complaint letter notifies the physician that he or she is being investigated by the Texas Medical Board. The complaint letter contains the allegation(s) against the physician. The complaint letter requests the physician, within a certain time period afforded, to respond to the allegation(s) contained in the letter. It is critical that this letter not be ignored as the Texas Medical Board is empowered to proceed with the complaint regardless of whether the physician responds with severe consequences to the physician if the initial complaint letter is not responded to or ignored altogether.
The Formal Investigation Phase
After a physician responds to the complaint letter, the Texas Medical Board will continue to conduct its investigation. The Texas Medical Board may continue to reach out to the physician for any necessary follow-up or to request additional information. The complaint, at this stage, may be dismissed if there is insufficient evidence. If the Texas Medical Board determines that the complaint has merit, the case proceeds. Under the Texas Medical Board rules, the investigation phase is required to be completed within 180 days of the complaint being filed and the investigation being opened.
Experience Matters
In private practice for the last 15 years, Mr. Phan has focused his practice exclusively on defending physicians and similar other health-related professionals against Board complaints and disciplinary proceedings. These proceedings are well known to Mr. Phan as he served as the Assistant General Counsel with the Texas Board of Nursing (BON), in addition to being the head attorney at the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners and a former State of Texas prosecutor exclusively dealing within the area of administrative law.
As one can see, the process is daunting, and each step requires an attorney who can guide a physician through that process and provide sound, thoughtful legal advice at each step so that the physician is in the best position to understand the consequences of each action and make the best decision for him or her depending on his or her unique facts and situation.
Candidly, the decision to hire an attorney is critical and important, one that is not to be taken lightly. Given the years of education and training by physicians, the firm expects that each potential physician client will continue to do his or her due diligence in researching an attorney and finding an attorney and firm that can best obtain the right result for him or her. Thus, one of the key considerations, the firm believes, is whether that attorney has experience with the licensing boards and has defended physicians before the Texas Board of Medicine. The Phan Law Firm, P.C., is this firm.
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