Arizona Laws 32-3208. Criminal charges; mandatory reporting requirements; civil penalty; exceptions
A. A health professional who has been charged with a misdemeanor involving conduct that may affect patient safety or a felony after receiving or renewing a license or certificate must notify the health professional’s regulatory board in writing within ten working days after the charge is filed.
Terms Used In Arizona Laws 32-3208
- Action: includes any matter or proceeding in a court, civil or criminal. See Arizona Laws 1-215
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Health profession regulatory board: means any board that regulates one or more health professionals in this state. See Arizona Laws 32-3201
- Health professional: means a person who is certified or licensed pursuant to chapter 7, 8, 11, 13, 14, 15, 15. See Arizona Laws 32-3201
- including: means not limited to and is not a term of exclusion. See Arizona Laws 1-215
- Person: includes a corporation, company, partnership, firm, association or society, as well as a natural person. See Arizona Laws 1-215
- Writing: includes printing. See Arizona Laws 1-215
B. An applicant for licensure or certification as a health professional who has been charged with a misdemeanor involving conduct that may affect patient safety or a felony after submitting the application must notify the regulatory board in writing within ten working days after the charge is filed.
C. On receipt of this information the regulatory board may conduct an investigation.
D. A health professional who does not comply with the notification requirements of this section commits an act of unprofessional conduct. The health professional’s regulatory board may impose a civil penalty of not more than $1,000 in addition to other disciplinary action it takes.
E. The regulatory board may deny the application of an applicant who does not comply with the notification requirements of this section.
F. On request, a health profession regulatory board shall provide an applicant or health professional with a list of misdemeanors that the applicant or health professional must report.
G. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, a person who is licensed or permitted pursuant to chapter 18 of this title is not subject to:
1. An investigation, a civil penalty or any other disciplinary action for failing to disclose a criminal charge if the criminal charge is more than four years old and does not involve sexual misconduct, an incident or occurrence involving a felony, diversion of a controlled substance or impairment while practicing. Diversion of a controlled substance does not include administrative errors or recordkeeping violations when there is not evidence of an actual loss of a controlled substance.
2. A civil penalty or any other disciplinary action for failing to report a criminal charge if the licensee or permittee has disclosed the charge in any manner, including a renewal application, even if the disclosure occurred after the ten-working-day period specified in subsection A of this section.