BILL NUMBER: AB 1127AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 4, 2011 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Brownley FEBRUARY 18, 2011 An act to amend Section 2234 of the Business and Professions Code, relating to medicine. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1127, as amended, Brownley. Physicians and surgeons: unprofessional conduct. Existing law, the Medical Practice Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of physicians and surgeons by the Medical Board of California. Existing law requires the board to take action against any licensee who is charged with unprofessional conduct and describes acts constituting unprofessional conduct. Existing law makes a violation of that provision a crime. This bill would provide that unprofessional conduct also includes, among other things, the willful noncompliance by a certificate holder with the duty to cooperate with an investigation being conducted by the boardthe repeated failure, except for good cause, by a certificate holder who is the subject of a board investigation, to attend and participate in an interview scheduled by the mutual agreement of the certificate holder and the board . By changing the definition of a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: yes. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 2234 of the Business and Professions Code is amended to read: 2234. The board shall take action against any licensee who is charged with unprofessional conduct. In addition to other provisions of this article, unprofessional conduct includes, but is not limited to, the following: (a) Violating or attempting to violate, directly or indirectly, assisting in or abetting the violation of, or conspiring to violate any provision of this chapter. (b) Gross negligence. (c) Repeated negligent acts. To be repeated, there must be two or more negligent acts or omissions. An initial negligent act or omission followed by a separate and distinct departure from the applicable standard of care shall constitute repeated negligent acts. (1) An initial negligent diagnosis followed by an act or omission medically appropriate for that negligent diagnosis of the patient shall constitute a single negligent act. (2) When the standard of care requires a change in the diagnosis, act, or omission that constitutes the negligent act described in paragraph (1), including, but not limited to, a reevaluation of the diagnosis or a change in treatment, and the licensee's conduct departs from the applicable standard of care, each departure constitutes a separate and distinct breach of the standard of care. (d) Incompetence. (e) The commission of any act involving dishonesty or corruption which is substantially related to the qualifications, functions, or duties of a physician and surgeon. (f) Any action or conduct which would have warranted the denial of a certificate. (g) The practice of medicine from this state into another state or country without meeting the legal requirements of that state or country for the practice of medicine. Section 2314 shall not apply to this subdivision. This subdivision shall become operative upon the implementation of the proposed registration program described in Section 2052.5.(h) The willful noncompliance by a certificate holder with the duty to cooperate with an investigation being conducted by the board. For the purposes of this subdivision, "willful noncompliance" includes, but is not limited to, repeated failure,(h) The repeated failure by a certificate holder, in the absence of good cause, to attend and participate in an interview scheduled by the mutual agreement of the certificate holder and the board. This subdivision shall only apply to a certificate holder who is the subject of an investigation by the board. SEC. 2. No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.