Decisions in 2015 by the Missouri Board of Healing Arts Lead to a Number of Physicians Losing Their License to Practice Medicine

The Missouri Board of Registration for the Healing Arts has disciplined several medical doctors in 2015 for ethical violations. Most disciplinary actions resulted in a public reprimand or probation, while others have led to suspensions from practice for a given period of time. Some physicians have suffered catastrophic outcomes. To this point in 2015, five physicians have lost their license to practice medicine in Missouri. While the reasons for license revocation vary, the transgressions the Board of Registration for the Healing Arts (“the Board”) found that the physician committed were extremely serious and warranted license revocation. The potential for severe, career and potentially life-altering disciplinary action requires hiring an experienced professional licensing attorney to defend you in disciplinary investigations and hearings.  Missouri professional licensing attorney Danielle Sanger has the experience to vigorously protect you from potentially irreparable disciplinary action.

Physicians, as well as all other licensees who are investigated for unethical conduct by the Board, enjoy certain rights if the investigation leads to a formal disciplinary hearing. The rights granted to physicians facing a disciplinary action ensure that the physician is protected by due process of law before adverse action is taken against the physician’s license. Accordingly, physicians have the right to be present and hear evidence presented at a hearing, to be represented by counsel, to have the allegations proven by “competent and substantial evidence,” the right to confront and cross-examine witnesses present in support of the allegations, the right to present evidence in the physician’s own behalf, as well as the right to a fair and impartial hearing conducted by an administrative hearings commissioner.  The rights are personal to the physician. Accordingly, the physician may waive the enumerated rights and enter an agreement with the Board. The physician may wish to challenge the Board’s evidence and contest the allegations levied at a hearing.  Failure to appear and defend will result in a default judgment against the physician and the Board will conclude that all of the allegations are true.

The Board has the statutory authority to discipline a physician licensed in Missouri for disciplinary action occurring in another state. Thus, the Board revoked the license of a Missouri physician for seven years based upon disciplinary action in Tennessee. Tennessee’s disciplinary tribunal revoked the physician’s license for a period of not less than two but no more than seven years.  Similarly, the Board revoked a Missouri physician’s license for seven years who voluntarily and permanently surrendered his medical license to the Texas Medical Board. This physician was found responsible for unethically dispensing controlled substances to seven patients in Texas.

Three additional investigations by the Board resulted in the revocation of Missouri physicians’ licenses. One physician voluntarily surrendered his license in lieu of other discipline for positive drug screens. The physician admitted to taking morphine pills that were not prescribed for him. This positive test caused the physician to voluntarily surrender his rights to prescribe controlled substances monitored by the State of Missouri and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”). Surrender of his privileges to the DEA constitutes “final action” giving the Board grounds to seek disciplinary action. Another physician voluntarily surrendered his “controlled substance privileges” to the DEA during the Board’s investigation. This physician also voluntarily surrendered his license in lieu of other discipline. In another case, the Board, after a full hearing, found that the physician failed to comply with his terms of probation on his license resulting from previous disciplinary action for substance abuse. The Board ruled that to preserve the public safety, the physician’s license must be revoked for seven years.

Professional Licensing Attorney Will Fight To Protect You And Your Livelihood

Kansas Professional Licensing Attorney Danielle Sanger is a zealous advocate for professional licensees, including physicians. Attorney Sanger’s experience as an assistant attorney general, coupled with her extensive accomplishments in private practice, provide her with the knowledge to zealously defend against any disciplinary action or investigation. Call Missouri professional licensing attorney Danielle Sanger at 785-979-4353 to learn how experience and determination can preserve your career and your livelihood.