BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 1267 Page 1 Date of Hearing: May 4, 2011 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Felipe Fuentes, Chair AB 1267 (Halderman) - As Amended: April 12, 2011 Policy Committee: Business and Professions Vote: 9-0 Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: No Reimbursable: No SUMMARY This bill requires a physician and surgeon's certificate to be automatically placed on inactive status during any period of time that the certificate holder is incarcerated after conviction of a misdemeanor, and requires the reason for this inactive status to be disclosed on the Internet Web site of the Medical Board of California (MBC). FISCAL EFFECT Negligible state fiscal impact. COMMENTS 1)Rationale . According to the MBC, the sponsor of this bill, there is currently nothing prohibiting physicians incarcerated for misdemeanors from practicing medicine while incarcerated. The MBC believes this bill will protect consumers in California by not allowing physicians that are incarcerated to practice medicine and by allowing for greater transparency by providing this information on the MBC's Web site. 2)License Suspension . The MBC indicates that under current law, physician and surgeon's licenses are suspended due to felony convictions resulting in incarceration. The MBC has the technology in place to automatically suspend licenses in this case, and has processed a total of 47 such suspensions in the last 10 years. This bill would extend the automatic suspension process to convictions for a misdemeanor resulting in incarceration. AB 1267 Page 2 3)License Lookup System . The MBC currently maintains a publicly accessible website where individuals can access information about a doctor through an inquiry system, including a physician's license status, their medical education, and certain self-reported data, as well as a variety of public actions such as disciplinary actions, felony and misdemeanor convictions, and malpractice settlements or judgments. This bill would add a requirement that the reason for inactive license status be disclosed. Analysis Prepared by : Lisa Murawski / APPR. / (916) 319-2081