House Bill 459 Summary

• Requires physicians to report any civil or criminal investigation concerning their licensure to the Board within 30 days and mandates permanent revocation of medical certificates for those convicted of felony sexual offenses.

• Broadens hospital reporting requirements to the Board to include all disciplinary actions affecting physician privileges, not just those requiring National Practitioner Data Bank reports.

• Expands the definition of "unprofessional conduct" to explicitly include sexual misconduct and patterns of negligence, and makes failure to report such conduct subject to Board discipline.

• Clarifies law enforcement agency reporting obligations to report pending criminal investigations involving physicians within 30 days of case closure and permits the Department of Justice to temporarily suspend Board investigations that may interfere with criminal proceedings.

• Authorizes the Board to appoint hearing officers to conduct disciplinary hearings, opens certain previously closed proceedings to the public, and requires the Division of Professional Regulation to subscribe to national licensing databanks and report potential criminal conduct to law enforcement.