When someone complains to the Board of Chiropractic Examiners about your services, you could lose the career and practice you have built for years. The board takes complaints like these seriously and could start investigating, resulting in disciplinary action against you. The discipline could be lenient or grave, based on the nature of the complaint and the evidence against you.

However, we at San Francisco License Attorney can change the outcome of your case. We understand how hard you have worked and how much money and time you have spent building your career. We also appreciate how administrative proceedings by licensing boards work. We can assist you in understanding your situation, defend your rights, and develop a solid defense to protect your license in San Francisco.

The Importance of Modern Chiropractic Service

Chiropractors are some of the most appreciated healthcare practitioners today. Although their practice started as an alternative to modern medicine, people appreciate its medical value today, making the practice very popular. Modern-day chiropractors offer even more services and are more effective than traditional ones. They undergo extensive training to understand how the human body's muscular, skeletal, and nervous systems function. They are also trained to adjust and manually manipulate these systems to ensure they work harmoniously. With their skills and knowledge, chiropractors help alleviate chronic pain and manage conditions that cause it.

Working as a chiropractor is also highly rewarding. Your patients depend on you for advice in different areas that help them enjoy excellent health. For example, you advise your patients on nutrition, stress management, sleep, relaxation strategies, and more. You need adequate skills to provide useful and effective services to your patients. You also require skills to examine your patient’s medical data, diagnose their medical issues, and use diagnostic tools like MRIs and X-rays to develop effective treatment plans.

Chiropractors also need extensive experience to apply holistic techniques to improve the health and well-being of their clients. Completing classroom and on-the-job training takes a long time to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to become a chiropractor. You also need discipline to understand the limitations of your license so you can effectively refer patients for additional treatment and care at the right time.

However, you must also carefully discharge your services to safeguard your license and livelihood. Your licensing board always provides professional guidelines when delivering your services. You must also abide by the state and local laws to avoid losing the license, which has taken a lot of effort to acquire. A complaint from your patient or workplace puts your chiropractic license at risk. Based on the gravity of the complaint, the board can place your license on probation, suspend it, or revoke it altogether. That affects your livelihood in many ways.

Chiropractors are accused of various issues, including incompetence, negligence, or greed. The board will notify you immediately after it receives an allegation against you. You can seek the assistance of a skilled license attorney for advice and guidance through the complex administrative procedures and defense. You improve your chance of obtaining a favorable outcome with an attorney.

A skilled license attorney understands your struggle to build your profession. They also understand how scary it is to lose your license and livelihood. Thus, they will use their resources and knowledge to fight with you for the best outcome. Your attorney can negotiate a fair settlement with the board or use the right strategies to compel the board to rule in your favor.

The Role of the Board of Chiropractic Examiners

The board licenses qualified chiropractors. The license stipulates the location and limits of their practice. Additionally, the board sets guidelines by which licensed chiropractors must abide. The guidelines are available on its website and the disciplinary guidelines it uses in case of a violation. However, the board’s primary mandate is to ensure that the public receives effective, safe, and professional services from licensed chiropractors. Since the board exists mainly for the public, it takes professional misconduct by chiropractors very seriously. This is seen in how it investigates, prosecutes, and determines related cases.

You can safely say that the board will take the complainant's side if it receives a complaint against you. Thus, you need the assistance of a competent chiropractic license defense attorney to protect your rights and defend your livelihood. Since the board will likely take action against you, your attorney will ensure this is done fairly.

The board appoints administrative judges to conduct hearings and determine cases it receives from aggrieved patients, families, and employers. The judges will study the evidence against you and consider your evidence and statement to rule on the matter. If the judges find you guilty of the allegations against you, the board will take action based on the gravity of the allegations. Here are some of the disciplinary actions available to the board:

License Revocation

A revocation is the strictest disciplinary action the bard can take against you. By revoking your license, the board will take away your ability to render your services in the state. A revoked license will also destroy your livelihood and a career you have built for years.

License Suspension

The board can suspend your permit for a period during which you will not earn a living. Although you can apply for the reinstatement of your license after that period, you will not earn a living until that happens. A license suspension could also damage your reputation, making it challenging to acquire new clients after it.

Interim License Suspension

The board can suspend your chiropractic license during the case investigation period. This will affect your job, livelihood, and efforts to gain clients afterward.

License Probation

The board places your license on probation to see how you perform your duties within a particular period. Probation can result in the full reinstatement, suspension, or revocation of your license. Thus, you must carefully perform your duties during this period. However, you will be under stringent probation conditions, which could make that difficult.

A Letter of Reprimand

In case of a lenient allegation, the board can send you a letter to reprimand you for the professional misconduct and warn you against the same or similar behavior in the future. However, the letter is available to the public and will likely damage your reputation. The warning also goes in your record, to which potential patients and prospective employers have access.

A Citation and Fine

The board also issues citations for lenient allegations. A citation mentions the allegations, stating that you have a case to answer with the board. It also mentions a fine you must pay to the board. Sadly, the reprimand is also done publicly and can be seen by essential people in your life. Thus, it can damage your reputation and affect your prospects.

The board considers several factors when determining the proper disciplinary action against a chiropractor facing professional misconduct charges. It considers the nature and gravity of the violation, your performance record, and whether your violation has caused anyone actual harm. The violations chiropractors commit are generally classified into four categories:

Category I

This category contains minor allegations, like failing to post your license, failure to inform your licensing board of your change of address, and failure to provide a patient’s medical record upon request. If an administrative judge finds you guilty of a violation under this category, the board can issue a citation, a letter of reprimand, or place your license on probation.

Category 2

Violations under this category are slightly more severe than in the first category. Your violation falls under this category if it demonstrates greater disregard of the law and professional guidelines. For example, if you fail to maintain your patient’s record well, use false or misleading advertisements to gain clients, or fail to appear for an administrative hearing. The board can place you on probation for up to three years for a violation under this category.

Category 3

The third category has graver violations than those in categories 1 and 2. You could be penalized under this category for exceeding your license limitations in service delivery, sexual misconduct with a patient, excessive treatment, gross negligence, or alcohol or drug abuse at work. Category 3 violations can result in license suspension for 30 days to five years.

Category 4

Violations under this category are grave and always lead to a revoked license. They mainly result in significant harm to a patient or another person. Once the board revokes your license, you will cease being a chiropractor. You are forced to train in another career to continue earning a livelihood.

The board considers additional factors when determining your case some of the factors that could influence its decision in your case include the following:

  • If your actions caused a patient or someone else to suffer actual harm,

  • The possible harm your violation could have caused

  • If this is your first violation, or you have a history of violations on your record,

  • If the current matters involve one or multiple violations or complaints

  • The severity and nature of the current violation

  • The kind of evidence the board has gathered against you

  • If you have received treatment, rehabilitation, or counseling before or have started it after the violation,

  • If the violation is about a criminal arrest or conviction, the board will consider how long ago the arrest or conviction occurred and how you performed your penalty

  • If you benefited from your actions, socially or financially,

  • If the violation was accidental or intentional,

  • The level of incompetence or negligence the violation portrays

If the board introduced aggravating factors in your case, it would likely take severe action against you, like revoking or suspending your permit for a long time. However, mitigating factors can neutralize your situation, compelling the board to consider a more lenient penalty.

The Role of a Chiropractic License Defense Attorney

License attorneys play a significant role in defending licenses and livelihoods on the verge of ruin due to professional misconduct and related allegations. Retaining an attorney right after being notified of a pending investigation into your conduct can improve your chances of obtaining a favorable ruling.

Your attorney will help you understand the significance of the allegations against you. Understanding the nature and gravity of your allegation enables you to develop a solid defense to protect your license.

Your attorney will also help you determine your options. This is usually guided by the gravity of your allegations and the evidence you have in your favor. Your attorney can introduce mitigating factors to compel the board to rule in your favor. Your attorney will also challenge the evidence against you and the accusations to obtain a fair ruling.

If the board suspends your license, your attorney will apply for its reinstatement after the suspension period. They can also push for favorable terms and conditions if the board places your license on probation. Since the board’s focus is public safety, your attorney will fight for your best interests from the start to the end of the case.

The investigation period is usually the hardest because of the uncertainty it presents. Your ability to render services could be impacted even before the final verdict. Your attorney will assure and encourage you to give your best to your patients, regardless of your case’s circumstances.

If the board rules against you, your attorney can appeal the case and fight harder for the best outcome.

Find Competent Professional License Defense Attorney Services Near Me

Are you under the investigation of the Board of Chiropractic Examiners in San Francisco?

This could be the most stressful period of your career because of the aggressive manner in which the board handles complaints and accusations against licensed chiropractors. But you can push for a fair resolution of your case with the help of a competent license attorney.

We understand how hard it is to lose a career that has taken years to build at San Francisco License Attorney. That is why we aggressively fight for our clients’ licenses and livelihoods. We will defend your rights, discuss your legal options, and develop the best fighting strategies for a favorable result. Contact us at 415-919-6594 to discuss your case and our services further.