Senate Bill 178 Summary

• Modernizes North Carolina Medical Board regulations by expanding definitions to include physician assistants and anesthesiologist assistants alongside physicians, and establishing clearer terminology for active and inactive licenses.

• Requires licensees to report sexual misconduct and drug diversion involving other licensees within 30 days to the Board, with failure to report constituting unprofessional conduct and grounds for discipline.

• Changes Medical Board meeting requirements from annual assembly in Raleigh to quarterly meetings anywhere in the state, and increases Board member per diem compensation from $200 to $300 per day.

• Revises licensure requirements for foreign-trained physicians from three years of approved training to two years, while allowing alternative paths through specialty board certification.

• Establishes permanent, permanent ineligibility for relicensing for felony convictions under Article 7B (sex offenses) of Chapter 14, and creates a new criminal offense for sexual contact or penetration under pretense of medical treatment effective December 1, 2019.