JOHN MUIR DOCTORS - PROFESSIONAL LICENSE DEFENSE
Physician License Law is a Specialized Area
Many Walnut Creek law firms have regular interactions with John Muir doctors on matters other than professional license defense. For licensing matters it is best to consult a firm with particular medical license expertise. Our physician lawyers focus on very specific aspects of a medical practice. We represent John Muir doctors in MEC investigations, peer review proceedings, internal discipline, scope of practice restrictions, credentialing, NPDB reporting and other license matters.
John Muir Medical Staff By-Laws
Do a google search on "John Muir By-laws" or some variation. We did that and here is what we got "Your search - "john muir by-laws" - did not match any documents." Having the by-laws is important. When our lawyers have a John Muir discipline case, we start with the Medical Staff Bylaws (endorsed by the JMH Medical Executive Committee and the JMH governing board.) This 127 page document is the rule book. There are federal Medicare rules, NPDB and Medical Board rules and Joint Commission rules but the starting point is the by-laws.
JMH By-Law Sections of Note
The medical staff by-laws have important sections relating to disciplinary issues. One section is titled "Peer Review and Performance Improvement". Another by-law section highly relevant to physician license issues is titled "Performance Monitoring of Provisional Staff through FPPE". The minute you hit an FPPE all the red flags for license impacts are being waived. The compliance of an FPPE with Joint Commission rules, the by-laws and industry standards are important factors for your physician lawyer attorney to consider.
Performance Monitoring is a critical issue at John Muir and at times an informal monitoring can trigger some highly formal "buttons" that may require disclosure on your part even though the monitoring was presented in a friendly and informal manner.
JMH Specific Issues
John Muir also has a system of credentialing and recredentialing which may or may not completely incorporate all supporting material and/or criticisms of a particular physician. There have been recent criticisms by the California Department of Public Health that are relevant to this process. The very complex relationship between JMH, mirror boards of directors, JMMG and recent governmental investigations can complicate the analyis of what presents as a simple medical care or personality snafu. We view license, discipline, performance improvement plans (PIP's), and SPARK filings in the context of John Muir Health as a self protective entity where your interests may not be paramount.
If you have issues arising at John Muir Health, we can help.