Colorado Physicians, Dentists, Chiropractors and other Doctors as well as Nurses, Physical Therapists, Physician Assistants and other providers are, from time to time, faced with complaints that have been filed against them with their licensing board. As with malpractice lawsuits, receiving a Board Complaint during your career has now become a matter of “when” not “if”.

Doctors and other providers face a variety of complaints ranging from accusations that the doctor or his/her staff “was rude to me”, “didn’t care about me”, “overcharged me”, or “charged me for services not provided” to more serious accusations about drug or sexual abuse, competency and negligence. In my opinion, every licensing board complaint should be taken extremely seriously since your license and reputation are at stake. In Colorado there are several possible resolutions of a Board or Licensing Complaint.

The Board can Dismiss the Complaint with or without a a Confidential Letter of Concern, Issue a Letter of Admonition with or without conditions or requirements for the provider, refer the the provider for evaluation, place the provider on probation with conditions or requirements, offer a stipulation to resolve the matter or suspend or even revoke the provider’s license. The provider also has the right to appeal the decision of the Board to a hearing (similar to a trial) before an Administrative Law Judge.

In light of the potentially serious consequences in Colorado to any provider, it is always wise to seek the assistance of an experienced attorney when responding to any Board complaint. A lawyer will help you conduct an objective review of the complaint and the circumstances surrounding it, take some of the emotion out of the response, and help you prepare a response that is respectful and focuses on the Board’s questions.

The biggest mistake I see providers make in Colorado when it comes to Board complaints is to wait too long before talking to an experienced attorney. I have been contacted by many clients who responded on their own to allegations that did not seem serious at the time and then were unhappy with the Board’s decision. Often in these cases there are many things that could have been done or facts that could have been brought up prior to the decision which may have made a difference. Unfortunately, once the Board has made a decision, often the only remaining option is the expensive process of a hearing before the administrative law judge.

So if you receive a complaint from your Colorado licensing Board, contact an experienced and knowledgeable attorney. For more information or assistance you can review my website at www.bluesteinlaw.com or contact me directly at Contact Philip M. Bluestein.

Nothing in this post or blog is not intended as legal advice and no attorney client relationship is formed by reading it. This blog provides only general information and should not be relied upon for answers to specific legal questions. If you are seeking legal advice in Colorado, please contact me at Contact Philip M. Bluestein.