Medical Board of California

Consumer Watchdog Calls on Medical Board to Comply with Consumer Protection Law Ahead of Resurrection of Substance Abusing Physicians Program

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, November 14, 2023
Arm, California Franchise Tax Board, Interim order, Fentanyl, Medical Board of California, Substance abuse, Interim, Legislation, Risk, Public key certificate, Patient, Multimedia, Medicine, Uniform, Health, Morphine, Ventura County Star, Health care, Consumer Watchdog, Physician, Ventura County, California, Letter, Nursing, Pharmaceutical industry, Medical device

The Uniform Standards give the Medical Board the consumer protection tools it needs to monitor substance abusing physicians.

Key Points: 
  • The Uniform Standards give the Medical Board the consumer protection tools it needs to monitor substance abusing physicians.
  • Consumer Watchdog sent the Medical Board of California a letter with recommended changes to the PHWP program regulations.
  • The PHWP was created by legislation for the Medical Board to refer doctors or doctors can self-refer for treatment.
  • The Medical Board of California voted to unanimously terminate its confidential physician diversion program for substance abusing and mentally ill physicians in 2008.

Medical Board Reform Bill That Will Expand Patients' Voice in Doctor Disciplinary Process Heads to Governor Newsom, Says Consumer Watchdog

Retrieved on: 
Friday, September 15, 2023
Medical Board of California, Interview, Face, Senate, Disclosure, Human, Multimedia, California Franchise Tax Board, Patient, Consumer Watchdog, Monitor, Public key certificate, Death, Family, SB, Legislation, Pharmaceutical industry, Nursing, Health insurance

However key reforms were stripped from the medical board bill that would have further strengthened patient safety and doctor oversight in California.

Key Points: 
  • However key reforms were stripped from the medical board bill that would have further strengthened patient safety and doctor oversight in California.
  • Injured patients and the families of those lost to medical negligence have spent years calling for these changes.
  • The bill as sent to the governor will increase fees to $1151 in 2023 and $1250 in 2027.
  • Two years ago, the legislature delayed substantive reform of the enforcement process and board operations by appointing an Enforcement Monitor to make recommendations.

Bill To Strengthen Medical Board Oversight of Doctors Passes Final Assembly Policy Committee, Says Consumer Watchdog

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, July 11, 2023
Communication, Interview, Senate, Medical Board of California, Assembly, California Medical Association, Human, Multimedia, Complaint, Dive (Belgian band), Death, Legislation, California Franchise Tax Board, Patient, Consumer Watchdog, Wildlife Enforcement Monitoring System, Public key certificate, Injury, Nursing, Health insurance

The bill, SB 815 by Senator Richard Roth and Assembly member Marc Berman, is the strongest bill reforming the Medical Board of California to make it through legislative policy committees in many years, said Consumer Watchdog.

Key Points: 
  • The bill, SB 815 by Senator Richard Roth and Assembly member Marc Berman, is the strongest bill reforming the Medical Board of California to make it through legislative policy committees in many years, said Consumer Watchdog.
  • This bill begins to put the Medical Board of California back on track to patient protection."
  • Initial findings of the Medical Board Enforcement Monitor, released in March, confirm that the Medical Board's investigations of doctors are hamstrung by funding shortfalls.
  • The Final Report of the Enforcement Monitor is due this month and will be a starting point for additional reforms, said Consumer Watchdog.

Medical Board Reform Bill Moves Ahead to Full Senate Public Control, Mandatory Patient Interview, Among Bill's Consumer Protections, says Consumer Watchdog

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, May 18, 2023
Medical Board of California, Senate, Legislature, United States Senate chamber, Disclosure, Woman, Multimedia, Consumer Watchdog, Complaint, United States Senate Committee on Appropriations, Legislation, California Franchise Tax Board, Patient, Public key certificate, Death, SB, Health insurance, Pharmaceutical industry

The Medical Board of California has previously endorsed many of the changes contained in SB 815.

Key Points: 

Patient Advocates Join Kern County Board of Supervisors to Proclaim May 2023 as Latina Maternal Health Awareness Month and Continue to Fight for Physician Accountability, Reports Consumer Watchdog

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, May 9, 2023
Medicine, Medical Board of California, Mother, Complaint, KERN, California Franchise Tax Board, Pre-eclampsia, Infant, Pregnancy, Kern County Board of Supervisors, Death, Child, Diagnosis, Multimedia, Seizure, Consumer Watchdog, Mortality, Public key certificate, Woman, Birth control, Nursing, Family

Bakersfield advocates accepting the resolution are also advocating for medical board reform at next week's Medical Board of California meeting.

Key Points: 
  • Bakersfield advocates accepting the resolution are also advocating for medical board reform at next week's Medical Board of California meeting.
  • Latina Maternal Health Awareness Month and the call for outreach focused on Latinas is a critical step in addressing the growing maternal health crisis in Kern County and throughout our state.
  • Michele Monserratt-Ramos, Consumer Watchdog's Kathy Olsen Patient Advocate, led the Bakersfield Families Call to Action Campaign to address maternal health issues in Kern County.
  • Monserratt-Ramos will discuss the need for Latina Maternal Health awareness at the meeting when the proclamation is introduced, and the educational campaign that she led in Kern County to address maternal health issues.

Medical Board Bill Needs Additional Patient Rights to Mandate Disclosure and Participation, Yet Includes Provisions That Will Strengthen Doctor Accountability, Says Consumer Watchdog

Retrieved on: 
Monday, April 24, 2023
Medical Board of California, Failure, Interview, Senate, Disclosure, Record, Woman, Colon, Complaint, California Franchise Tax Board, Patient, Hysterectomy, Consumer Watchdog, Wildlife Enforcement Monitoring System, Monitor, Public key certificate, Death, Legislation, Pharmaceutical industry, Health insurance, Nursing

The bill creates a public member majority on the Board, a top priority of patient advocates, however fails to mandate patients have rights in the enforcement process or receive timely information about their doctors.

Key Points: 
  • The bill creates a public member majority on the Board, a top priority of patient advocates, however fails to mandate patients have rights in the enforcement process or receive timely information about their doctors.
  • Lawmakers will vote on the bill authored by Senator Richard Roth today in the Senate Business, Professions & Economic Development Committee.
  • "Lawmakers and the Medical Board must give patients rights in the enforcement process and access to information about their doctors in order to protect themselves.
  • The bill creates a Complainant Liaison Unit at the Medical Board to interact with members of the public, but does not give people who file a complaint about patient harm rights in the enforcement process.

San Diego Doctor Charged with Murder In Patient's Death Shows Failure Of California's Doctor Discipline, Patient Disclosure Laws, says Consumer Watchdog

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, April 11, 2023
Cardiac arrest, Arrest, Medical Board of California, Legislature, Life, Woman, Multimedia, Stomach, Anesthesia, Chacon, California Franchise Tax Board, Patient, Risk, SAN, Hearing, Consumer Watchdog, Gaping, Public key certificate, Death, Legislation, Pharmaceutical industry, Birth control, Nursing

Dr. Carlos Chacon was arraigned for murder on Monday for actions in December of 2018 that led to the death of patient Megan Espinoza.

Key Points: 
  • Dr. Carlos Chacon was arraigned for murder on Monday for actions in December of 2018 that led to the death of patient Megan Espinoza.
  • Those patients were not warned about Chacon's history, even after he was first charged with manslaughter in December 2021.
  • The court placed restrictions on his license Monday, but Chacon will still be allowed to practice if he is released on bail.
  • Consumer Watchdog called on lawmakers to require the Medical Board of California to suspend the license of doctors charged with murder and mandate disclosure to patients of charges against doctors.

Golden State Dermatology Expands Their Network in the Central Coast of California

Retrieved on: 
Monday, April 3, 2023
Insurance, San Francisco Bay Area, Telehealth, Partnership, American Academy of Dermatology, Stanford University, Patient, GSD, American Academy, Medicine, Private practice, Research, Medical Board of California, Golden, American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, Monterey Peninsula, MD, American Board of Dermatology, Veterinary medicine, Dermatology, Central Coast

CARMEL, Calif., April 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Golden State Dermatology (GSD) is pleased to announce a new partnership with the dermatology practice of Christopher M. Barnard, MD located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif. The new partnership expands the GSD footprint to include 27 locations across the San Francisco Bay Area, Central Coast, and California's Central Valley and Sacramento Valley.

Key Points: 
  • The new partnership expands the GSD footprint to include 27 locations across the San Francisco Bay Area, Central Coast, and California's Central Valley and Sacramento Valley.
  • Dr. Barnard has run Barnard Dermatology since 1995, a premier practice located on the Monterey Peninsula, where he specializes in medical and surgical dermatology.
  • Dr. Barnard is a Diplomate of the American Board of Dermatology and a member of the American Academy of Dermatology.
  • To learn more about Golden State Dermatology, and its partnership with The Center for Dermatology and Laser Surgery, please visit GoldenStateDermatology.com.

Consumer Watchdog Reports: Initial Report of Medical Board Enforcement Monitor Confirms Investigation Delays and Failure to Discipline Doctors

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, March 16, 2023
Multimedia, Medical Board of California, Economic development, California Department of Consumer Affairs, Patient, Wildlife Enforcement Monitoring System, Consumer protection, Human, Complaint, Monitor, Death, Consumer Watchdog, HQE, Hearing, Interview, Public key certificate, Pharmaceutical industry, Private investigator, Property management

"The report confirms what injured patients have been shouting from the rooftops: The Medical Board is failing to protect the public from doctors who cause harm," said Carmen Balber, executive director of Consumer Watchdog.

Key Points: 
  • "The report confirms what injured patients have been shouting from the rooftops: The Medical Board is failing to protect the public from doctors who cause harm," said Carmen Balber, executive director of Consumer Watchdog.
  • Consumer Watchdog called on lawmakers today to move complaint investigators and prosecutors under the same roof, and to increase Board funding to reduce investigator workloads and retain staff.
  • Vertical enforcement was implemented most recently after the last Medical Board Enforcement Monitor's recommendations were published in 2004-05.
  • Last year, the Board closed 83% (8254) of pending cases at its triage unit without investigation or an interview of the complainant.

Los Angeles Robotic Hip and Knee Replacement Surgeon, Dr. Farzin Kabaei, Recognized as a 2023 Top Patient Rated Doctor

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, February 1, 2023
Shoulder, Doctor, Regenerative medicine, Physician, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Medical Board of California, Professional, Patient, Pain, Hip examination, Hip, American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Orthopedic surgery, Knee, Infection, Trauma, UCLA, LOS, Arthritis, Medical device

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 1, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- At Robotic Hip and Knee Replacement LA, Dr. Farzin Kabaei and his team use a multi-disciplinary approach to knee, hip and shoulder treatments at his state-of-the-art medical center in Los Angeles, California. He has been selected by Find Local Doctors for this honor as a result of his many five-star ratings and excellent reviews from satisfied patients across multiple online sources. Find Local Doctors is a user-friendly online directory that helps consumers connect with skilled physicians in their area. In many of Dr. Kabaei's reviews, patients have commented on his surgical skill and the top-notch professionalism that he provides.

Key Points: 
  • LOS ANGELES, Feb. 1, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- At Robotic Hip and Knee Replacement LA , Dr. Farzin Kabaei and his team use a multi-disciplinary approach to knee, hip and shoulder treatments at his state-of-the-art medical center in Los Angeles, California.
  • His cutting-edge practice, Robotic Hip and Knee Replacement LA, is located at 8436 West 3rd Street Suite 800 in Los Angeles.
  • For more information about Robotic Hip and Knee Replacement LA or to schedule a consultation with Dr. Farzin Kabaei, please call (310) 792-9300 and visit http://www.robotichipandkneereplacementla.com .
  • Dr. Farzin Kabaei, Robotic Hip and Knee Replacement LA, (310) 792-9300, [email protected]