Consumers Overview
The Medical Board of California (Board) has the primary responsibility of licensing and regulating physicians and surgeons and certain allied health care professionals. The Board's responsibilities come from the Medical Practice Act, which is composed of California statutes that give the Board, among other functions, the authority to investigate complaints and take disciplinary action against physicians and surgeons and certain allied health care professionals. These investigation and disciplinary functions are handled by the Board's Enforcement Program.
The Board's Enforcement Program staff work with health care consumers and health care professionals in identifying those physicians and surgeons and certain allied health care professionals who have engaged in any activity which may be unsafe and which may put the public at risk. The Board investigates matters where it can obtain the evidence necessary to meet its burden of proof that a violation of the Medical Practice Act occurred by clear and convincing evidence to a reasonable degree of certainty.
The Enforcement Program's responsibilities can be divided into four primary categories:
- Central Complaint Unit
- Investigation
- Disciplinary Action
- Probation Monitoring