Sec 32-1403. Powers and duties of the board; compensation; immunity; committee on executive director selection and retention

A. The primary duty of the board is to protect the public from unlawful, incompetent, unqualified, impaired or unprofessional practitioners of allopathic medicine through licensure, regulation and rehabilitation of the profession in this state. The powers and duties of the board include:

1. Ordering and evaluating physical, psychological, psychiatric and competency testing of licensed physicians and candidates for licensure as may be determined necessary by the board.

2. Initiating investigations and determining on its own motion if a doctor of medicine has engaged in unprofessional conduct or provided incompetent medical care or is mentally or physically unable to engage in the practice of medicine.

3. Developing and recommending standards governing the profession.

4. Reviewing the credentials and the abilities of applicants whose professional records or physical or mental capabilities may not meet the requirements for licensure or registration as prescribed in article 2 of this chapter in order for the board to make a final determination as to whether the applicant meets the requirements for licensure pursuant to this chapter.

5. Disciplining and rehabilitating physicians.

6. Engaging in a full exchange of information with the licensing and disciplinary boards and medical associations of other states and jurisdictions of the United States and foreign countries and the Arizona medical association and its components.

7. Directing the preparation and circulation of educational material the board determines is helpful and proper for licensees.

8. Adopting rules regarding the regulation and the qualifications of doctors of medicine.

9. Establishing fees and penalties as provided pursuant to section 32-1436.

10. Delegating to the executive director the board's authority pursuant to section 32-1405 or 32-1451. The board shall adopt substantive policy statements pursuant to section 41-1091 for each specific licensing and regulatory authority the board delegates to the executive director.

B. The board may appoint one of its members to the jurisdiction arbitration panel pursuant to section 32-2907, subsection B.

C. There shall be no monetary liability on the part of and no cause of action shall arise against the executive director or such other permanent or temporary personnel or professional medical investigators for any act done or proceeding undertaken or performed in good faith and in furtherance of the purposes of this chapter.

D. In conducting its investigations pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 2 of this section, the board may receive and review staff reports relating to complaints and malpractice claims.

E. The board shall establish a program that is reasonable and necessary to educate doctors of medicine regarding the uses and advantages of autologous blood transfusions.

F. The board may make statistical information on doctors of medicine and applicants for licensure under this article available to academic and research organizations.

G. The committee on executive director selection and retention is established consisting of the Arizona medical board and the chairperson and vice-chairperson of the Arizona regulatory board of physician assistants. The committee is a public body and is subject to the requirements of title 38, chapter 3, article 3.1. The committee is responsible for the appointment of the executive director pursuant to section 32-1405. All members of the committee are voting members of the committee. The committee shall elect a chairperson and a vice-chairperson when the committee meets but no more frequently than once a year. The chairperson shall call meetings of the committee as necessary, and the vice-chairperson may call meetings of the committee that are necessary if the chairperson is not available. The presence of eight members of the committee at a meeting constitutes a quorum. The committee meetings may be held using communication equipment that allows all members that are participating in the meeting to hear each other. If any discussions occur in an executive session of the committee, notwithstanding the requirement that discussions made at an executive session be kept confidential as specified in section 38-431.03, the chairperson and vice-chairperson of the Arizona regulatory board of physician assistants may discuss this information with the Arizona regulatory board of physician assistants in executive session. This disclosure of executive session information to the Arizona regulatory board of physician assistants does not constitute a waiver of confidentiality or any privilege, including the attorney-client privilege.

H. The officers of the Arizona medical board and the Arizona regulatory board of physician assistants shall meet twice a year to discuss matters of mutual concern and interest.