California Medical Board struggles to fulfill its function
August 27, 2023
In the US, licenses to practice medicine are granted at the state level by state licensing boards. Therefore, state licensing boards also tend to be responsible for investigating and adjudicating complaints about malpractice or unprofessional behavior. KFF Health News published an article describing some of the struggles that the California Medical Board is experiencing: "The board opened only about 1,000 investigations out of nearly 10,000 complaints last year." Perhaps more telling: "Critics have complained for years that the medical board doesn't hold doctors accountable often enough. Families that file complaints against doctors frequently go years without updates on the status of investigations, and often aren't told why when their complaints are rejected."
Apparently, the issue is a lack of funding: "The simple reality is that the board is not able to pay its bills," the board said in a statement. The medical board has had to borrow $18 million from the Bureau of Automotive Repair. The $79 million budget sounds like a fair amount, but the board has pointed out that it has "little control over staffing costs. Its 169 employees work for the state and are covered by labor agreements negotiated by statewide employee unions."
A legislator has proposed raising licensing fees, along with some other changes. The California Medical Association has objected to the extent of the fee increase. Devising an ideal solution is difficult since, without knowing more details, it is unclear if the board is efficiently spending its funds. It is not difficult to imagine a bureaucracy that grows more when it is fed more. Nevertheless, the status quo does not inspire a tremendous amount of confidence.