Complaint Procedure, Investigation, Due Process, and Actions Available to the Board

Complaint Procedure, Investigation, Due Process, and Actions Available to the Board. Any person who has reason to believe that any physician may have failed to comply with any part of these rules in the performance of medical expert activities may make a complaint to the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure on a complaint form that is furnished by the Board. Any physician, whether or not licensed to practice medicine in Mississippi, who performs medical expert activities in the context of a legal matter regarding any person, facility, entity, or event located within the state of Mississippi may be subject to an investigation by the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure upon the receipt of a complaint regarding the physician’s conduct or practice. Any such physician shall be afforded the due process procedures of the law and Board rules. The Board, in its sole discretion, may refer the complaint to the medical licensure authority of another state, or to any other appropriate legal authority. Any physician may request, or may be summoned by the Board, to appear before the Board at a hearing to consider the physician’s compliance with these rules. Any physician’s failure to appear when summoned to a hearing may be deemed by the Board to be a waiver of the physician’s due process opportunity to appear before the Board and may result in a finding by the Board that the physician is out of compliance with these rules in absentia. In disciplining a physician licensed to practice medicine in Mississippi or otherwise holding any physician professionally accountable pursuant to these rules and to the statutes, rulings, and other rules and provisions of Mississippi law, the actions that the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure may take include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: A. Denying, suspending, restricting, or revoking a Mississippi license to practice medicine. B. Administering a public or private reprimand to a Mississippi licensed physician. C. Assessing up to $10,000 of the reasonable investigation costs expended by the Board in investigating a Mississippi licensed physician. D. Moving for an injunction in Chancery Court to prohibit any physician’s further performance of medical expert activities. E. Petitioning the Chancery Court to cite any noncompliant physician for contempt of court. F. Referring the matter to another medical licensure authority or other legal authority for action regarding any physician. G. Any other action regarding any physician that the Board may deem proper under the circumstances (e.g., issuing an advisory letter of concern; issuing a notice of warning; issuing a cease and desist notice; or adopting a resolution of disapproval of any physician’s medical expert activities). Any physician who is found by the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure to have failed to comply with any part of these rules may be reported by the Board to any person or organization appropriate under the circumstances in order to enforce or comply with the law or to protect the public, including, but not limited to, the National Practitioner Data Bank, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Federation of State Medical Boards, the medical licensure authority or state medical association in any state in which the physician is licensed to practice medicine, the American Board of Medical Specialties and any of its member specialty boards, the Mississippi Attorney General or District Attorney, the United States Attorney, any state or federal court or administrative agency, any national or state professional organization or medical specialty association, and any other appropriate person, government agency, healthcare entity, or legal authority.