BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 1767
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   April 14, 2010

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                  AB 1767 (Hill) - As Introduced:  February 9, 2010

          Policy Committee:                              Business &  
          Professions  Vote:                            10-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              

           SUMMARY  

          This bill requires the Medical Board of California (MBC) to  
          provide legal counsel to a physician against whom a medical  
          specialty disciplinary complaint is lodged in the course of  
          providing medical expertise for MBC investigations. 

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Unknown, likely minor fee-supported special fund costs to MBC to  
          provide legal expertise if a medical expert faced disciplinary  
          action as the result of investigative work conducted on behalf  
          of MBC.

           COMMENTS  

           Rationale  .  This bill is sponsored by the MBC to increase the  
          efficacy of enforcement workload by ensuring medical specialists  
          feel comfortable conducting investigative work. According to the  
          author and sponsor a recent incident arose involving two  
          physicians who are members of the same medical specialty. 

          One physician was being investigated by the MBC and the other  
          physician was serving as an expert medical investigator. The  
          former doctor lodged a complaint against the latter doctor to  
          their shared specialty board. The MBC was unable to provide  
          adequate defense for the medical investigator because current  
          law does not allow for such support. This bill provides  
          authority for MBC to provide counsel in these kinds of  
          circumstances.  
           
           Analysis Prepared by  :    Mary Ader / APPR. / (916) 319-2081 








                                                                  AB 1767
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