The skills of a licensed osteopathic doctor are invaluable to people seeking preventive healthcare and quality diagnosis and treatment. However, obtaining this type of license takes a long time and a lot of hard work. The Osteopathic Medical Board uses strict criteria to ensure that only highly qualified medical professionals are licensed in this field. If you are lucky enough to obtain a license, you must work hard and exercise caution to keep the license and your career.
However, your osteopathic license is always at risk, especially when complaining of dissatisfaction and unprofessional conduct by your patients, colleagues, or employer. You could lose it after a few months of practicing or even years of building your reputation in the industry. Fortunately, you can defend your actions and your livelihood with the assistance of a competent license attorney.
At San Jose License Attorney, we know how valuable your license is to you, your family, and your patients. We can assist you in fighting any allegation to defend your license and keep you at your job much longer.
What Osteopathic Doctors Do in the Modern Medical Field
The medical field is typically diverse. It includes all kinds of professional services by highly trained and experienced healthcare professionals. This diversity is needed based on the types of medical needs people present. While some medical professionals, like dentists and opticians, specialize in particular treatments and medical needs, others, like general doctors and osteopathics, offer generalized services. Osteopathic doctors are professionals who treat a person as a whole being rather than focussing on their symptoms. They are trained in various areas, including diagnosing and treating medical conditions, and preventive healthcare.
You need adequate training and experience to offer quality and safe services as a California-trained osteopathic. However, you must first obtain a license to ensure you provide legal services throughout California. The Osteopathic Medical Board has detailed criteria for all trained professionals who need licensing to work as osteopathic. The qualification process is typically expensive, long, and challenging. Since osteopathic medicine is a specialization, you need basic training as a doctor before specializing in a particular field. Training as a doctor takes time, money, and dedication. You must dedicate more time and resources to your training to receive additional training to become an osteopathic doctor.
The knowledge and experience you gain through education and training are insufficient to give you a license. You must demonstrate your qualifications to obtain an osteopathic license. The board only licenses those with the proper knowledge, experience, and dedication. You must also demonstrate an understanding of the medical professional code of conduct and local statutes. You must also be willing to offer practical and safe services to become a certified healthcare professional.
Once you have the permit, you can provide alternative treatment to your patients according to your training and experience. Licensed osteopathic doctors can treat various medical conditions impacting the nervous, circulatory, muscular, and digestive systems. They work with the precept that all systems in the body are interconnected such that a problem in one system can cause a problem in the others. An issue that affects one part of your body will likely impact your entire well-being.
When people come to you for treatment, they expect you will use your skills and expertise to diagnose and treat them. However, problems arise during diagnosis and treatment that put your license at risk. You can defend your license if you make a genuine mistake or are accused falsely. A competent license attorney will use their expertise to protect your rights and defend your actions before the board.
How The Board Disciplines Licensed Osteopathic Doctors
Understanding what is expected of you after obtaining a professional license is critical. This ensures you avoid mistakes and problems that put your license at risk. The Osteopathic Medical Board will not hesitate to act against you if you violate the code of ethics for professionals like you. This action will likely affect your career or license. The board has violations you should not commit after obtaining your license and the possible penalties you could face after a violation. These constitute various ways the board disciplines licensed medics who violate their professional code.
Although the board is responsible for ensuring that there are well-trained and experienced licensed osteopathic doctors in California, its primary responsibility is public safety. The board’s main responsibility is to ensure that licensed professionals offer safe and quality services to people needing medical care. Thus, the board will discipline you if you fall short of its expectations regarding service delivery. This disciplinary action can involve suspending or revoking your license, affecting your career, reputation, and ability to earn a living.
Defending your actions and fighting for your career is recommended, as it ensures you do not lose it all, even after facing discipline by the board. Even with severe violations, you can save your license and perform better with a competent attorney's assistance. Your attorney can table your defense in a way that causes the board to reconsider its discipline. They can also compel the board to give you a second chance.
However, this all depends on the kind of violation you have committed. Examples of possible violations licensed osteopathic doctors commit are as follows:
- Using excessive prescriptions or medications when administering treatment
- Sexual misconduct in the workplace
- Insurance fraud and any other fraudulent act
- Having a physical or medical condition that affects your ability to discharge safe and effective services
- Being incompetent
- Gross, ordinary, or criminal negligence
- The abuse of drugs or alcohol in the workplace
- Treating patients while intoxicated
- Some misdemeanor and felony arrests or convictions
- Availing drugs to a patient who is addicted to drugs
- Administering treatment and medications without an adequate diagnosis
- Using illegal advertising and marketing practices
- Falsifying patients’ medical records
- Failing to maintain proper medical records
- Administering unlawful therapies for cancer
- Allowing untrained assistants to work under your supervision
- Doing more than your medical license permits
- Being investigated by another board in a different state
Although some licensed osteopathic doctors commit some of these violations, others are caught unaware. It could be that you made an honest mistake or someone filed a false accusation against you. If your actions are not deliberate, or you were wrong but are willing to start afresh, the board will review its disciplinary action against you. However, you must use the best license defense attorney to avoid a harsh penalty, like license suspension or revocation.
Once the board suspends or revokes your license, you cannot practice your career for a long time or forever. This will affect your capacity to earn a living and could affect the livelihood of your dependents.
Anyone can file a complaint with the Osteopathic Medical Board. Although most complaints come from disgruntled patients, public members can report any unprofessional conduct by a certified professional. The board takes every allegation it receives seriously and will take action to protect the public. However, it investigates allegations first to ensure they are substantiated and to obtain evidence against the licensed professional.
The board can act against you or dismiss the allegation if you are accused of misconduct. This depends on what it finds through its investigation. The board only pursues credible allegations. Thus, if it has evidence of your incompetence, misconduct, or criminal acts, you will receive a notice of investigation by the board. This is usually a notice to start preparing your defense. The board’s disciplinary action will depend on the severity of the allegation and your previous misconduct.
How The Board Punishes Unprofessional Osteopathic Doctors
If the allegations against you are credible, the board will appoint an administrative judge to oversee investigations and hearings regarding your case. The judge will review the evidence against you and hear witness testimonies to determine the punishment you deserve for your actions. However, you are allowed to protect your career and fight the allegations with the assistance of an attorney. Based on the details of your case, the board can take one of the following disciplinary actions provided on its website.
For example, the board can issue a citation against a medical professional who commits a minor allegation. Citations are lenient disciplines because they do not impact your ability to practice your career and make a living. However, they can affect your reputation, cause you to lose your job, and make it difficult to find a job. This is because licensing boards issue citations through their online platforms. Everyone has access to the internet today, including your previous and current patients, family members, colleagues, and bosses. A citation will affect your life if significant people discover the violation.
The board could also require you to pay a fine after issuing the citation. Depending on the severity of your violation, the fine will be small or substantial. A substantial fine could be unaffordable for you or your family.
Instead of citations and fines, the board can issue a reprimand letter against you through its website. This also poses the same challenges for you as the online citation. Although the letter does not directly affect your career and livelihood, it could affect you if significant people find out about it.
If you worry about your reputation, you can challenge the citation or reprimand letter from the board. A skilled attorney can show the board how the disciplinary action against you will affect your future and compel them to dismiss your allegations or rule your case favorably.
The Osteopathic Medical Board also uses license suspensions and revocations for grave violations. If you caused your patients or someone else harm or intended to cause harm, the board will be sterner in its discipline. Although license suspensions are temporary, they will affect how you earn a living. This is because you will not render your services during the suspension period. However, the board can reconsider if your attorney presents a valid argument against your allegations.
A license suspension is more severe because it takes away your ability to earn an income as an osteopath for life. Considering the time and resources you have invested in obtaining your professional license, this is a significant move. However, the board can reconsider if your attorney uses the best defense strategies to fight your allegations or defend your actions.
How a License Attorney Can Help
Hiring a license attorney should be your top priority if you face disciplinary action by the Osteopathic Medical Board. You should hire an attorney immediately after the board notifies you of a pending investigation about your actions or inactions. You need an attorney even if you face false accusations or did not act with criminal intent. Your attorney will represent you in the hearings, advise you on your options, and offer the emotional support you need to go through a challenging phase in your career.
Sometimes, it is difficult to decide when facing a challenge. A license attorney will discuss your options in detail and help you choose the most suitable choice for your situation. They will also fight with you to ensure that the board considers your best interests when determining your case.
If the board suspends your license at the beginning or the end of your case, a licensed attorney can assist you in reinstating it. Remember that license suspensions are usually temporary. However, license reinstatement after a suspension is usually not automatic. You must reapply for a license and meet particular criteria for the board to reinstate your license.
Find a Trustworthy License Defense Service Near Me
If you or someone you love is facing disciplinary action by the Osteopathic Medical Board in San Jose, it is time to hire a skilled license attorney. You need an attorney from the start of the administrative process to learn the details of your case and your options and to plan well for the defense. An attorney can also negotiate for a favorable outcome at the beginning of the process to save your time and the stress of going through an administrative process.
At San Jose License Attorney, we have extensive training and experience handling all disciplinary cases related to osteopathic doctors. We can assist you in fighting for a favorable outcome in your case. Call us at 408-850-3740 to begin the legal process with us.
