Posted by Racer on September 23, 2004, at 11:21:32
In reply to Reporting a psychiatrist, posted by Shadowplayers721 on September 23, 2004, at 0:41:28
I'm in the process of reporting the "mental health professionals" who "treated" me over the past year, so I know something about what happens in California. The process will be a bit different from state to state, but this is the basic roadmap for California, which is likely to be similar for other states.
First of all, here in CA, consumers do not file complaints against medical practitioners. We report problems to the licensing boards. Once the report is received, they review it for merit, and then -- if they find it to have merit -- they assign it to an investigator. If the investigator finds support for the problems reported, the licensing board then attempts to resolve the issue with the reportee -- sort of like a plea bargain in a criminal case. If that mediation doesn't work out, then they file an official complaint against that medical practitioner, through the State Attorney's office. There's a hearing before an administrative judge, where the consumer may be asked to testify. The judge will hand down a decision, which goes to the medical licensing board as a recommendation. The board can choose to ignore the judge's decision, but they still have the action on file against that medical practitioner. Either way, it will show up as an action against the license of the person involved.
That's the basic routine, as I recall from the CA licensing board's website. Your state's licensing board should also have a website that details the specifics for your state.
For what it's worth, I'm getting assistance from a local, non-profit, pro bono law firm that handles mental health issues. There are agencies in most of the states that will allow you to research similar firms in your area. Or your local NAMI office can probably refer you to one in your area.
Best luck to you, and if you want to hold hands through this process with someone else who's on the same road, please feel free to drop me an email at babbler39 at excite dot com.
poster:Racer
thread:393965
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20040918/msgs/394105.html