Medical License Defense  >  Osteopath License Defense

Ray & Bishop, PLC, defends osteopaths from accusations filed by the Osteopathic Medical Board of California, appeals the denial of osteopathic medical licenses, represents osteopaths in Medical Board investigations, and guides osteopaths through the disclosure of adverse events on osteopath license renewals and applications.

A California osteopath, also known as an osteopathic doctor or D.O., is licensed by a distinct board, the Osteopathic Medical Board of California, however, investigations of osteopathic doctors are conducted by the Medical Board of California. The Osteopathic Medical Board also uses many of the same laws, forms and processes as the Medical Board to license, monitor, regulate and discipline osteopathic doctors. However, unlike the Medical Board of California, the Osteopathic Medical Board still has a diversion program for physician rehabilitation, and the Osteopathic Medical Board has different rules with respect to the use of fictitious business names.

When the Osteopathic Medical Board decides to investigate an osteopath, it typically has a Medical Board investigator contact the osteopath to arrange an interview at a field office. If your osteopathic medical license is in jeopardy due to an investigation, Ray & Bishop can defend the license in the Medical Board field office through careful preparation and advocacy. To defend an osteopathic medical license, we may need to challenge requests for medical records if appropriate, defend your medical and financial privacy as an osteopath, have the case reviewed by an osteopathic medical expert, and represent your interests at the Medical Board field office interview before a Medical Board of California interviewer.

California Osteopathic Medical Doctors, or D.O.’s, are disciplined by the Healthcare Quality Enforcement Unit of the California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General. When the Attorney General, or A.G., seeks to discipline the license of an osteopath, the Attorney General files and serves and accusation against the D.O. At Ray & Bishop, PLC, we defense osteopathic medical licenses from accusations filed by the Attorney General. If you receive a Statement to Respondent, an Accusation, a Notice of Defense and other documents, you have a license defense case which has to be defended at administrative hearings before the Office of Administrative Hearings. We have extensive experience defending osteopathic medical licenses at administrative hearings and also defending osteopaths who are applying for their osteopathic medical license but have been denied.

An osteopathic medical doctor may face license revocation, license suspension, license probation, a license reprimand, or a citation. Common accusations against osteopaths include Business and Professions Code section 2234 and 2236, conviction of crimes substantially related to practice, violation of sections 2264 and 2052(a), aiding and abetting the unlicensed practice of medicine, Business and Professions section 2234, unprofessional conduct, and 2234 and 2239(a), misuse of alcohol. If you receive an accusation, you have just fifteen (15) days to file the notice of defense with the Attorney General. If the notice of defense is not filed on time, the Attorney General can ask the board to punish the license by default, which usually means revocation. Therefore it is critical to file the notice of defense on time to avoid default and request a hearing at the Office of Administrative Hearings.

Defense of an osteopathic medical license or appeal of the denial of an osteopathic medical license does not necessarily have to result in a conviction. A stipulated settlement may be possible without going to hearing. At Ray & Bishop, we can strive to settle your license defense case for the best possible outcome prior to hearing. However, if the license case cannot reach a satisfactory outcome by settlement, we are prepared to employ our experience, knowledge and expertise to defense the osteopathic medical license.