WASHINGTON Washington State Medical Quality Assurance Commission
On July 4, 1889, 75 citizens including 43 Republicans, 29 Democrats, and three Independents met in Olympia to draft the new Washington State Constitution. Among the delegates was a group of physicians who worked diligently for effective medical legislation for the new state. Article XX of the Constitution — requiring a board of health, bureau of vital statistics and regulations concerning medicine, surgery and pharmacy - passed on Aug. 12, 1889, with no dissenting votes and no amendments. The Washington State Medical Society, in an official resolution, commended the committee for its diligence, noting, "The State of Washington alone possesses a constitutional clause requiring medical legislation."
The 1890 Medical Practice Act, which was a revision of the territorial legislation of 1881, created a nine-member Board of Examiners to determine applicant competency by administering a scientific and practical exam in anatomy and physiology. Violation of the act brought a $50 to $100 fine or 10 to 90 days in jail. In 1894, only 12 out of 34 applicants passed the exam, despite possessing diplomas from reputable medical colleges.
The law was amended in 1901 to require proof of graduation from an authorized college with a three-year course in medicine. In 1905, the law was amended to require a four-year education. In 1919, practitioners were required to have a diploma from a school approved by the Association of American Medical Colleges and the AMA Council on Medical Education and Hospital, and show evidence of a one-year internship in a 25-bed hospital that included six weeks of maternity service.
In 1955, the Medical Disciplinary Board was established and located within the Department of Licensing along with the Board of Examiners. In 1971, physician assistants were licensed for the first time. The Medical Disciplinary Board and the Board of Medical Examiners were moved in 1989 to the newly created Department of Health. Five years later, the legislature abolished both medical boards and created the Washington Medical Quality Assurance Commission with the authority to license and discipline allopathic physicians and physician assistants.
Barbara Schneidman, M.D., M.P.H., who served as FSMB president from 1991 to 1992 and as interim president and chief executive officer in 2009, is a former member of the Washington board.
Washington State Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery licensing ledger from August 1919 lists the first 30 osteopathic physicians licensed in Washington. In 1921, the 1919 law was repealed and the board abolished. The state director of licensing was given authority over the osteopathic profession.
In 1927, the Osteopathic Examining Committee was established. In 1959, osteopathy and osteopathy surgery were combined and a one-year internship was established. Four years later, standards of professional conduct were established. In 1971, osteopathic physician assistants were formally established. In 1979, the Osteopathic Examining Committee was changed to the Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery . The board is made up of six osteopathic physicians and one public member.
The mandate of the Washington Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery is to protect the public's health and safety and promote the welfare of the state by regulating the competency and quality of professional health care providers under its jurisdiction. The board's responsibilities include establishing, monitoring and enforcing qualifications for licensure of osteopathic physicians and physician assistants, establishing and monitoring compliance with continuing education requirements, ensuring consistent standards of practice, developing continuing competency mechanisms, investigating and making recommendations related to complaints against physicians and physician assistants. There has been significant growth in the number of licensed osteopathic physicians in Washington in the last decade. In 2001, there were 713 licensees and by 2011, there were 1,261 licensees, an increase of 76.9 percent.
IDAHO
Idaho State Board of Medicine
Idaho State Board of Medicine .
The board's primary responsibility and obligation is to protect the general public through the regulation of physicians and surgeons. The board also regulates other health care professionals through various advisory boards. The board is composed of 10 physician and public members who are charged with upholding the Idaho Medical Practice Act.
MONTANA
Montana Board of Medical Examiners
Montana Board of Medical Examiners . In 1969, the Medical Practice Act was enacted, providing for a comprehensive revision of the board's statutory powers, duties and responsibilities. Two years later, as a result of the Executive Reorganization Act of 1971, the board was changed from an independent state agency to a board within the Department of Professional and Occupational Licensing.
The first meeting of the Montana State Board of Osteopathic Examiners was held In Helena, Montana on June 13, 1901. Montana did not give osteopaths full practice rights until 1971. Doctors of Osteopathy are now members of the Board of Medical Examiners.
The board is currently under the Department of Labor and Industry's Business Standards Division and is responsible for licensure of doctors of medicine, doctors of osteopathy, nutritionists, podiatrists, acupuncturists, physician assistants and emergency medical technicians. The board was responsible for licensing physical therapists until 1979 when the legislature created the Board of Physical Therapists to assume this responsibility.
The current Montana Board of Medical Examiners consists of 12 members appointed by the governor with the consent of the Montana Senate. Five members have the degree of doctor of medicine, including one member with experience in emergency medicine. The other seven members include a doctor of osteopathy, a licensed podiatrist, a licensed nutritionist, a licensed physician assistant, a volunteer emergency medical technician and two members of the general public who are not medical practitioners.
NORTH DAKOTA
North Dakota State Board of Medical Examiners
In 1889, North and South Dakota were admitted to the union as the 39th and 40th states, respectively. The following year the North Dakota State Board of Medical Examiners was established to regulate the practice of medicine in the state. The board consisted of nine members including one homeopathic physician, one lawyer and seven doctors of medicine. The board was authorized to revoke licenses in cases involving improper conduct. In 1905, a penalty for practicing medicine without a license was added. In 1911, the board composition was changed to two homeopathic physicians and seven doctors of medicine.
In 1909, the state legislature created a State Board of Osteopathic Examiners, consisting of three osteopaths, to give examinations and license osteopathic physicians. The board was abolished in 1969 and responsibility for regulation of the field of osteopathy was given to the State Board of Medical Examiners. Board membership was increased to 10, including one doctor of osteopathy and nine doctors of medicine.
In 1993, a public member was added to the board for the first time. Membership consisted of eight doctors of medicine, one osteopathic physician and one public member. With the addition of a second public member in 1999, the board expanded to 11 members. In 2005, the board expanded again to include nine doctors of medicine, one osteopathic physician and two public members.
The board regulates the medical profession through examination, licensing, continuing education requirements and disciplinary action. It determines the education, residential training and character requirements of candidates seeking a license to practice medicine in North Dakota. The board also issues and records licenses to all applicants who qualify as doctors.
Among the notable leaders from North Dakota is board member G.M. Williamson, M.D. , who served as FSMB president from 1933 to 1934.
MINNESOTA
Minnesota Board of Medical Practice
By 1927, the board had been given the right to refuse to grant a license to or revoke the license of any person guilty of immoral, dishonorable or unprofessional conduct. In 1963, the board's responsibilities were extended to doctors of osteopathy and the board's name was changed to the Board of Medical Practice.
Currently, the board is responsible for the licensing, regulating and disciplining of physicians. It examines, licenses and registers medical doctors, doctors of osteopathy, physician assistants, midwives and physical therapists. The board consists of 10 physicians, one osteopathic doctor and five public members, all appointed by the governor.
Five Minnesotans have served as FSMB past president or chair including: Thomas McDavitt, M.D. (1925-26), Julian F. DuBois, M.D. (1942-43), Howard L. Horns, M.D. (1974-75), William E. Jacott, M.D. (1986-87), Melvin E. Sigel, M.D. (1992-93) and Doris C. Brooker, M.D. (2004-05). In addition, Tammy L.H. McGee, MBA, and Jon V. Thomas currently serve on the FSMB Board of Directors as Directors-at-Large.
WISCONSIN
Wisconsin Medical Examining Board
The Act, known as the "Kellett Act," was the result of work done by the Kellett Commission, named for its chair, William R. Kellett. The Act gathered up the many independent boards and councils operating in the state, each with its own staff and facilities, and organized them under a limited number of departments. The Department of Regulation and Licensing (DRL) was created to provide centralized administrative and technical services to several of these different boards and councils, including the Medical Examining Board.
Under the Act, boards were to continue independent regulation of their own professions, and the Department assumed responsibility for the direct regulation of professions where no examining board existed. The boards and councils attached to the department consisted primarily of members of the professions and occupations they regulate until 1975, when the legislature mandated that at least one public member serve on each board. In 1984, it required an additional public member on most boards. Public members are prohibited from having ties to the profession they regulate.
In the 2009-11 State Budget, eight new positions were added and 8.9 positions were transferred to create a new Medical Examining Board Bureau to handle all enforcement, credentialing and Board Services needs for Medical Board professions. In addition, the Board and its affiliates were granted a separate appropriation in the agency's budget and dedicated staff within the umbrella. The 2011-13 state budget marked the start of the new Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS), formed by combining the Department of Regulation and Licensing and parts of the Department of Commerce. The Medical Examining Board consists of 13 members appointed by the Governor and approved by the senate. There are nine M.D.s, one D.O. and three public members. The work of the Board is supported by 17 full time staff consisting of an Executive Director, attorneys, investigators, paralegals, license permit associates and a bureau assistant.
There are approximately 25,000 licensed physicians in Wisconsin at this time. The investigations conducted by the Board are driven by the complaint process. The Board receives around 450 complaints a year. About half the complaints involve allegations of negligent practice. About 20 percent are related to drug and alcohol use or diversion. Some are sexual in context, i.e., boundary violations. Disciplinary orders imposed by the Board include a reprimand with or without limitations on the practice, suspension or revocation of the license. Non-disciplinary orders imposed by the Board include administrative warnings and remedial education.
In 1989, Susan Behrens, a former Chair of the Wisconsin Medical Examining Board, became the first woman to Chair the Federation of State Medical Boards (1989-90).
MICHIGAN Michigan Board of Medicine
In 1899, the state legislature in Public Act 237 established the Michigan State Board of Registration in Medicine. The act provided for the examination, regulation, licensing and registration of physicians and surgeons in the state of Michigan, and for the discipline of offenders against the act.
In 1937, the Basic Science Bill became law. It established a six-man board to give two tests per year in the basic sciences, which included anatomy, physiology, pathology, bacteriology, hygiene and public health, and chemistry. Passing the exam was a prerequisite for practicing the art of healing in Michigan. Two individuals wrote the first exam in March 1940 and both failed to pass. Seventy-six individuals took the second exam in June 1940; 53 passed and 23 failed. After 35 years, the Michigan Basic Science Act was repealed in 1972.
On Jan. 8, 1974, a new Medical Practice Act, Public Act of 1973, became effective. It continued in effect until Sep. 30, 1978, when the board's authority was transferred to the Public Health Code in Public Act 368 of 1978, as amended.
In 1986, legislation was enacted to strengthen physician licensure and regulation. The legislation increased funding and staff for the Board of Medicine. More investigators and a full-time administrator were added to the board.
The Michigan Board of Medicine consists of 19 voting members: 10 medical doctors, one physician's assistant and eight public members. It currently oversees the practice of approximately 36,055 medical doctors.
Among the notable leaders in the Michigan medical regulatory community are the following individuals who served a past FSMB president/chair: Guy L. Connor, M.D. (1928-29), J. Earl McIntyre, M.D. (1941-42) and Elmer W. Schnoor, M.D. (1954-55).
Source: A History of the Michigan State Medical Society, 1866-2007 MSMS History Book with Addendum. Contact: Sheri Greenhoe, MSMS director of Marketing Communications & Media, (517) 336-7603, sgreenhoe@msms.org .
Michigan Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery Michigan Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery was created with the enactment of Public Act 162 of 1903. This act regulated the practice of osteopathic medicine and surgery in Michigan and provided for the examination, licensing and registration of osteopathic physicians and surgeons; and the discipline of offenders against the act. On September 30, 1978, this authority was transferred to the Public Health Code, Public Act 368 of 1978, as amended.
The practice of osteopathic medicine and surgery, as defined in the Public Health Code, means a separate, complete and independent school of medicine and surgery, utilizing full methods of diagnosis and treatment in physical and mental health and disease. These methods include the presentation and administration of drugs and biologicals, operative surgery, obstetrics, radiological and other electromagnetic emissions, and place special emphasis on the interrelationship of the musculoskeletal system to other body systems.
The Public Health Code mandates certain responsibilities and duties for a health professional licensing board. Underlying all duties is the responsibility of the board to promote and protect the public's health, safety, and welfare. This board implements responsibility by ascertaining the minimal entry-level competency of health practitioners and verifying continuing medical education during licensure. The board also has the obligation to take disciplinary action against licensees who have adversely affected the public's health, safety and welfare.
The Michigan Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery consists of 11 voting members: seven osteopathic physicians, one physician's assistant and three public members. It currently oversees approximately 7,794 osteopathic doctors.
OREGON
Oregon Medical Board
Six years later, the legislature added two members to the board and defined unprofessional medical conducts for the first time to include "employment of cappers or steerers (payment for patient testimonials), moral turpitude, betraying professional secrets and obtaining a fee for the care of an incurable disease." In 1897, the board released its First Biennial Report to the governor. Applicants during the early years of the board were required to submit their educational credentials and pass an exam on all branches of medicine before being granted a license to practice medicine . In 1907, osteopathic physicians were placed under the board's supervision and an osteopathic physician was added to the board.
Legislation passed in 1931 requiring all new physicians to pass a state-administered basic science test before a medical license would be granted. By the late 1940s, the board began to place physicians who had violated the Medical Practice Act on probation. These disciplinary efforts combined with the science exam requirement made Oregon one of the most difficult states in which to get a medical license. The exam requirement was subsequently repealed in 1973 when it was determined that other credentialing/licensing exam served the same purpose.
In 1975, the legislature changed the Medical Practice Act to allow a physician's license to be summarily suspended when the physician poses an immediate danger to the public. Additional legislation passed that guarantees confidentiality to anyone filing a complaint against a physician. It also requires physicians to report directly to the board colleagues who violate the Medical Practice Act. These legislative changes resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of complaints received by the board.
In the 1970s, the board began to gain responsibility for the licensing of other health care professionals. Currently the board oversees physician assistants, acupuncturists and podiatrists. The board is responsible for more than 13,400 licensees, up from 627 licensees in 1900. The board now consists of 11 members including two public members. The Oregon Board of Medical Examiners was officially renamed the Oregon Medical Board in January 2008.
In 2006, Administrators in Medicine honored the Oregon board with its "Best of Boards" award for placing license applications and status reports for license applications on the board's website. In addition, three past presidents/chairs of the FSMB came from Oregon, including George H. Lage, M.D. (1966-67), Ray L. Casterline, M.D. (1972-73), and Anthony J. Cortese, D.O. (1988-89).
WYOMING
Wyoming Board of Medicine
Currently the Wyoming Board of Medicine consists of eight members: five physicians, two public members and one physician assistant. The board licenses medical doctors, osteopathic physicians and physician assistants to practice medicine in Wyoming. Serving with board members is the Physician Assistant Advisory Council.
SOUTH DAKOTA
South Dakota Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners
In 1889, North and South Dakota were admitted to the union as the 39th and 40th states, respectively. The South Dakota Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners was subsequently created. The board's mission is to protect the health and welfare of the state's citizens by assuring that only qualified doctors of medicine, doctors of osteopathy, physical therapists, advanced life support personnel, physician assistants, athletic trainers, occupational therapists, respiratory therapists, nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, and dietitians are licensed to practice in South Dakota. The board is comprised of nine members: seven physicians, including one osteopathic physician, and two public members.
IOWA
Iowa Board of Medicine
Three kinds of certificates were issued including certificates to those holding diplomas from medical colleges in good standing, certificates to those who had practiced medicine in the state for five years prior to the passage of the act, three years of which were in one locality, and certificates to those who passed a satisfactory examination before the board.
Initially, the Board issued licenses to three sects of physicians: medical (M.D.), homeopaths, and eclectics. The board did not issue licenses for osteopaths (D.O.s) until 1902. In 1921, the legislature created a separate board to license and regulate D.O.s. In 1963, the legislature abolished the osteopathic board and redefined the State Board of Medical Examiners, making it a composite board for licensure of medical physicians (M.D.s) and osteopathic physicians (D.O.s). In 2007 the legislature changed the board's name to the Board of Medicine.
Among the physicians most closely associated with the work of the early Iowa board is Dr. Walter Bierring , who served as the first president of the reorganized Iowa State Board of Health and Medical Examiners from 1913-1921. Bierring also served for nearly a half century as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Federation of State Medical Boards.
In 1994, the board assumed responsibility for registering acupuncturists, and subsequently the licensure and regulation of acupuncturists. In 1996, the legislature authorized the board to establish the Iowa Physician Health Committee. The committee administers the Iowa Physician Health Program to offer support for physicians with mental health issues, physical disability, or drug and alcohol problems.
In 2007, the legislature changed the board's name to the Board of Medicine. The board is composed of 10 members: five practicing M.D.s, two practicing D.O.s, and three members of the public. State law requires that five members be male and five be female, and no more than five members may be affiliated with the same political party.
In 2011, the Iowa Board of Medicine celebrated its 125th anniversary with several special events , including a ceremony in Old Capitol in Iowa City , Tammy McGee represented the FSMB Board of Directors and presented the Iowa board with a framed proclamation honoring their service to the citizens of Iowa.
Two Iowa board members have served as FSMB president: Frank M. Fuller, M.D. (1943-33) and Hormoz Rassekh, M.D. (1993-94).
ILLINOIS Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation
The Medical Licensing Board is made up of seven physicians, including five doctors of medicine, one doctor of osteopathy, and one doctor of chiropractic. The board evaluates the qualifications of applicants for licensure as physicians in Illinois.
The Medical Disciplinary Board's purpose is to consider allegations of misconduct or malfeasance by members of the medical professions and to recommend appropriate discipline. The board consists of nine members: seven physicians, including osteopathic and chiropractic representatives, and two members of the public.
INDIANA
Medical Licensing Board of Indiana
Currently the Medical Licensing Board of Indiana licenses and regulates physicians, osteopathic physicians, acupuncturists and genetic counselors. The board consists of five medical physicians, one osteopathic physician and one consumer member. Past board members who served as chairs of the FSMB include J.W. Bowers, M.D. (1937-38), P.T. Lamey, M.D. (1969-70), and N. Stacy Lankford, M.D. (2007-08).
OHIO
State Medical Board of Ohio
State Medical Board of Ohio followed nearly one month later on March 24, 1896. Responsible for licensing allopathic physicians, the board consisted of seven members, all allopathic physicians.
The board's oversight responsibilities grew over the years to include osteopathic physicians in 1902, limited practitioners such chiropractors in 1915, physical and occupational therapists in 1959, physician assistants in 1977 and cosmetic therapists in 1992. Subsequently, the oversight of chiropractors, physical and occupational therapists and midwives was transferred to other state licensing boards. By the mid-1980s, board membership had increased to 12 with the addition of three consumer members, one podiatrist and an osteopathic member.
From 1917 to 1966, Herbert M. Platter, M.D., served as secretary of the board. At that time, the secretary was the administrator of the board's staff and activities. After building a superb 49-year administrative record, Dr. Platter retired at the age of 96.
The board established the Ohio Quality Intervention Program in 1995 to address standard of care issues with individual practitioners in a confidential and non-disciplinary manner. In 1996, the Ohio Medical Board began requiring medical and osteopathic applicants to use the Federation Credentials Verification Service and in 2004, the board piloted the use of the Common License Application Form now known as the Uniform Application. The board extended its track record of innovation in 2007 by launching "Partners in Professionalism ," an educational outreach program with the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine to teach ethics and professionalism to first-year medical students.
Many Ohio board members have provided leadership to the FSMB as past presidents/chairs including: Herbert Platter, M.D. (1929-30), John M. McCann, M.D. (1953-54), Frederick T. Merchant, M.D. (1970-71), Henry G. Cramblett, M.D. (1980-81), and Ronald C. Agresta, M.D. (2002-03). In addition, board member Raymond Albert was elected to the FSMB Board of Directors in 1991 and Executive Director Ray Q. Bumgarner served as the Associate Member on the FSMB board in 1995. More recently, Lance A. Talmage, M.D., was elected to the FSMB Board as Board Secretary in 2008 and is elected FSMB's Chair-elect in 2011. In addition, Richard A. Whitehouse, Esq., currently serves on the FSMB Board of Directors as a Director-at-Large.
CALIFORNIA Medical Board of California
In 1913, the Board of Medical Examiners was established. It consisted of nine physicians and one public member. Responding to numerous reports of quackery , the board developed an active enforcement department, which handled 26 cases of Medical Practice Act violations in 1913. Beginning in 1914, written examinations were given to physicians, surgeons and drugless practitioners. From 1918 to 1949, the board issued nine different classes of certificates based on these examinations, reciprocity or credentials.
Major targets of the board in the 1920s included anatomy museums, diploma mills and beauty specialists. After a long and bitter battle, the Board of Medical Examiners and other state and federal agencies forced the closure of museums of anatomy, which presented displays of life-size wax figures depicting alarming disease conditions designed to frighten visitors into a consultation with the doctor. In 1927, the "diploma mills" bill passed by the legislature made it a felony to file fraudulent credentials, enabling the board to take action in such cases. Finally, beauty specialists performed a variety of face peelings at the time, including brushing the face with carbolic acid solution or applying a paste composed of salicylic acid, biochloride of mercury or other equally dangerous poisons. Pressure from the board forced legislative action to regulate the practice of cosmetology in California.
Under the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act enacted in 1975, a cap was placed on malpractice awards for non-economic damages, commonly referred to as pain and suffering. The legislation also created a more effective medical board charged with regulating the professions and disciplining those few physicians who drive higher malpractice rates for everyone else. Under MICRA, the board was reorganized to include 12 physicians and seven public members and renamed the Board of Medical Quality Assurance.
In the 1980s, continued fallout from Caribbean medical school issues resulted in legislation requiring the board to evaluate medical education around the world, including onsite inspections of educational programs in Mexico, the Philippines and England. The board was renamed the Medical Board of California on Jan. 1, 1990, in order to make it more accessible and user-friendly to ordinary citizens. In addition, the legislature changed the board's highest priority to consumer protection from physician rehabilitation. In 2008, the composition of the board changed to 15 members - eight physicians and seven public members — in order to increase the board's efficiency. Currently, Hedy L. Chang serves on the FSMB Board of Directors as a Director-at-Large.Osteopathic Medical Board of California Osteopathic Medical Board of California (OMBC) was established in 1922 with the passage of the Osteopathic Initiative Act. Initially the board was comprised of five osteopathic physicians appointed by the governor. In 1991, two public members were added to the board. In 2002, the board volunteered to be included under the umbrella of the California Department of Consumer Affairs. As defined in the Medical Practice Act, the OMBC is charged with a mission of public protection, which includes licensing and enforcement.
NEVADA Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners
Medical Practice Act , which created the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners .
The first license was granted in 1899 to W.J. Hood, M.D. In 1976, Dr. Hood's sons, Drs. Arthur and Dwight Hood presented their father's license to the board for its archives . Examples of exams given to applicants in the early 1900s include one on "Bacteriology and Hygiene " and another on the "Practice of Medicine ."
The Medical Practice Act was modernized in 1949, an effort led by Dr. Fred Anderson and board counsel, Alan Bible who later became a longtime U.S. Senator from Nevada. Dr. Tom Scully, board president, led efforts to modernize the act a second time in 1985. The revision included three major advances still in effect today:
• Investigations are exempt from open meeting laws.
• Physician discipline can include participation in drug and alcohol programs, supervision of medical practice and imposition of additional training and community service.
• Three years of postgraduate medical training is required for licensure.
The board's authority has expanded over time. Physician assistants were added as licensees of the board in 1973. Respiratory therapists were added in 2001 and perfusionists were added in 2009.
Dr. Susan Buchwald became the board's first female president in 1996 and Mr. Arnie Rosencrantz became the board's first public-member president two years later. The FSMB awarded the Nevada board's Executive Director Larry Lessly its Distinguished Service Award in 2004 and Administrators in Medicine awarded the Nevada board's Chief of Investigations, Douglas C. Cooper, its national Ronald K. Williamson Memorial Award for Board Investigators in 2007. In 2009, Mr. Cooper became the first certified medical board investigator to be named executive director of a state medical board.Nevada State Board of Osteopathic Medicine
The act also created the Nevada State Board of Osteopathy Examiners, which held its first meeting in northern Nevada on July 19, 1925. Two board members were present. There were six osteopathic physicians in the state at that time. Osteopathic physicians were required to pay $25 for the examination and $25 for the licensing fee. The notebook recording their names, license numbers and date of licensure still exists as does the application for License #1 .
In 1977, the state legislature incorporated prior statutes and enacted additional statutory mandates related to the regulation of osteopathic medicine. At that time, the board's name was changed to the Nevada State Board of Osteopathic Medicine .
Today, there are more than 1,000 osteopathic physicians and approximately 60 physician assistants licensed through the board. Among them are: a state legislator, the current Director of Medical Services for the Nevada State Department of Corrections, the current Chief Health Officer for the Southern Nevada Health District and chiefs of staff for various hospitals throughout the state.
UTAH Utah Department of Commerce
Utah Osteopathic Physicians & Surgeons Licensing Board
COLORADO
Colorado Board of Medical Examiners
Medical Practice Act creating the Colorado State Board of Medical Examiners. The composition of the board was statutorily set at nine physicians, "six physicians of the regular, two of the homeopathic, and one of the eclectic system or school of medicine." Dr. C. M. Parker was elected as the first board president and was issued Colorado license #1 on July 8, 1881. A colleague portrayed Dr. Parker as "a big, hustling, energetic man, always dressed in a Prince Albert coat, [with] one of the biggest practices in Denver. He fit in well in the new, rough community. He answered to Theodore Roosevelt's classification of certain western characters whom he described as 'men with the bark on.' "
From its inception through the 1920s, the Colorado board spent much of its time dealing with suspect or fraudulent medical credentials. The Colorado Medical Practice Act required either medical education or the passage of an exam for licensure, but not both. Scandal erupted when it was learned that several "medical schools" were fraudulent enterprises that merely 'taught the exam' to anyone willing to pay the price. One such scam originated in St. Louis, Mo., at the so-called St. Louis College of Physicians and Surgeons, which was apparently a diploma mill. In 1923, the St. Louis Star published an "expose of the traffic in medical diplomas, together with an exposition ... of how fraud is practiced in connection with examinations conducted by state examining boards." The editor of the Star wrote a letter to the Colorado board essentially asking "what's up" in this regard in Colorado. The interesting aspect, from a Colorado point of view, is reflected in board member Dr. David A. Strickler's response: "We are rather peculiarly situated in the State of Colorado in that anyone of good moral character is permitted to take the examination for a license to practice medicine and if successful in passing the same is given a license. Under this provision of our law it is possible for a man who has never been in a medical college but who has had good coaching to be able to pass the examination and receive a license." At the time, Dr. Strickler also served as president of the Federation of State Boards of Medical Examiners, a position he held from 1916 into the 1920s.
In 1976, the Medical Practice Act was revised to add two public members to the board and in 2000, the law was again revised to add an additional two public members. In the early 1980s, three board members were instrumental in moving the board into the modern era - Fred Paquette, M.D., Bruce Wilson, M.D., and Christine Petersen, M.D. In 1982, the board acquired the authority to use hearing officers, now Administrative Law Judges, to hear its cases. Five years later, the Medical Practice Act was amended to create a peer health assistance program, which was funded through a dedicated portion of physician renewal fees. The Colorado Physician Health Program, which has been the designated peer health assistance provider since the inception of this statute, has become a nationally recognized peer assistance program and has provided assistance to more than 3,500 Colorado physicians since its inception. In 1990, the board decided as a matter of policy to make all disciplinary actions of the board a matter of public record and in 2007, the passage of the Michael Skolnik Medical Transparency Act created one of the most comprehensive physician profile systems in the country.
NEBRASKA
Nebraska Board of Medicine and Surgery
In 1927, the legislature passed the basic science law, which requires that before applicants can be examined in any of the healing arts, they must secure a certificate of ability from the basic science board. The certificate relates to chiropractic, osteopathy, medicine and surgery, and covers the following six subjects: anatomy, physiology, chemistry, bacteriology, pathology and hygiene.
The Nebraska State Department of Health was created by the 1933 legislature. Among its many divisions was the Bureau of Examining Boards. The bureau oversees the professions of chiropractic, chiropody, dentistry, embalming, medicine and surgery, nursing, optometry, osteopathy, pharmacy, and veterinary medicine and surgery. In 1981, the legislature defined the role of the 15-member Board of Health as the Bureau of Examining Boards. From 1981 to present time, the role of the Board of Health has been to appoint members of the various boards and to review and approve regulations for the credentialed professions.
The Bureau of Examining Boards is now the Licensure Unit within the Division of Public Health, Department of Health and Human Services. The Nebraska Board of Medicine and Surgery has eight members — five physicians, one osteopathic physician, and two public members. The Board provides recommendations to the Department relating to licensure and disciplinary matters pertaining to medicine and surgery, physician assistants, acupuncturists, and perfusionists.
Five Nebraskans have served as past FSMB President or chair, including J.G. Lehnhoff, M.D., (1938-39), Earle C. Johnson, M.D. (1948-49), Leo T. Heywood, M.D. (1968-69), Dan A. Nye, M.D. (1975-76) and John C. Sage, M.D. (1985-86).
KANSAS
Kansas Board of Healing Arts
In 1957, Kansas statutes established the State Board of Healing Arts to assume the functions of the governor-appointed boards. The mission of the current board is to protect the public by authorizing only those persons who meet and maintain certain qualifications to engage in the health care professions regulated by the board and to utilize the least restrictive yet effective means to protect the public from incompetence, unprofessional conduct or other proscribed practice by persons who have been granted authority to practice in the state; and from unauthorized practice by persons and entities who have not been granted authority to practice in the state.
The board licenses and registers individuals involved in healing arts, restricts licenses as needed, investigates all matters alleging professional incompetence, unprofessional conduct and other statutorily proscribed conduct and promptly submits completed investigations to review committees and advisory councils for fair and consistent recommendations. In addition, the board educates stakeholders through various programs about the mission and function of the State Board of Healing Arts.
MISSOURI
Missouri State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts
In 1893, the legislature passed the state's first Medical Practice Act, which required physicians who did not have a medical diploma or certificate to pass an examination administered by the State Board of Health. The act also dealt with medical school curriculum and credentialing of instructors in lieu of requiring medical school graduates to pass a board-administered exam. In 1907, a new Medical Practice Act was passed that required applicants taking the board examination to be graduates of a reputable four-year medical school. The Missouri State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts was created in 1939. Until 1959, Missouri had separate boards regulating medical doctors and osteopathic doctors. Today, the board regulates medical doctors, osteopathic doctors, physician's assistants, physical therapists, speech language pathologists, audiologists, perfusionists, athletic trainers and anesthiology assistants among others. The board is comprised of eight physicians and one voting public member.
Also of note in Missouri medical history, Andrew Taylor Still, M.D., D.O., founded the American School of Osteopathy in Kirksville, Mo., in 1892. When osteopathic medicine was developing in rural Missouri, traditional surgery and therapeutic regimens often were seen to cause more harm than good. Arsenic, castor oil, whiskey and opium were among the common medicines at that time. Unsanitary conditions often caused death from surgical procedures. Mark Twain was an early supporter of osteopathic medicine, but it wasn't until the late 1960s that osteopathic physicians were admitted to the American Medical Association. The A.T. Still University College of Osteopathic Medicine operates today in Kirksville, Mo.
KENTUCKY
Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure
The Kentucky State Medical Society was officially incorporated on November 24, 1851, by action of the Kentucky General Assembly. In 1878 the Kentucky State Board of Health was created primarily to protect citizens against yellow fever, cholera and smallpox. Since its inception, the State Board of Health was recognized as the legal arm of the state medical association and was an obvious precursor to the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure.
Dr. McCormack served as Secretary of the Board of Health for 30 years and he became very involved with the Kentucky State Medical Society, serving as its president in 1884. He eventually played a critical role in the reorganization of the American Medical Association in the early 1900s and pushed the Kentucky government to enact strong public health laws in the 1880s.
In the 1880s, the General Assembly gave the State Board of Health control of the examination and regulation of those practicing the healing arts. In 1882, state, local, and city boards of health became government agencies with authority from the General Assembly to do "everything necessary to protect the public health."
In 1905, the Kentucky Medical Journal, the medical association's professional publication, published the state's first Examination for License to Practice Medicine. It consisted of 100 questions and was given to 12 physicians; only four passed the exam. In 1920, the medical association and the board of health hired an attorney to assist in the enforcement of medical practice laws.
In 1972, the Kentucky State Board of Medical Licensure was formally created.
ARIZONA Arizona Medical Board
In 1897, 15 years before Arizona became a state, the Arizona Territorial Legislature passed a law requiring physicians to register with the territory, but did not provide a mechanism for registration. Acting on the advice of the Arizona Medical Association, lawmakers established the Arizona State Board of Medical Examiners in 1903 and gave it the authority to issue medical licenses to qualified physicians. The board consisted of five physician members appointed by the governor. Almost from the beginning, the board tested applicants for licensure, denying licenses even to medical school graduates who failed to pass a "satisfactory examination."
Many physicians practicing in the territory at this time were "grandfathered" in by the law of 1897 and awarded licenses by the board. This included "physicians" who had practiced for decades but had no formal training. The fee for the first Arizona medical licenses was $2. Licensee names, ages, medical training and professional histories were handwritten into the Great Register -- a large volume that, when opened, takes up the surface of a desk. Entries also indicated whether a physician had "left the territory" or retired or whether a license was revoked. Many entries indicated the date of the physician's death.
The Arizona State Board of Medical Examiners licensed homeopathic and "eclectic" physicians as well as allopathic and osteopathic physicians. Eclectic physicians practiced medicine with a philosophy of "alignment of nature." They were early opponents of bleeding techniques, chemical purging and the use of mercury compounds common among conventional doctors at the time. The movement peaked in the 1880s and 1890s, but it wasn't until 1939 that the last U.S. eclectic medical school closed.
The Arizona Medical Practice Act evolved over time. Early board meeting minutes show members revoked licenses for performing abortions, which were illegal at the time, attempting to bribe a judge, and for habitual intemperance involving alcohol or drugs. In the 1980s, the state legislature expanded the board to 12 members, including four non-physicians. In 2002, the legislature changed the agency's name to the Arizona Medical Board. Ram R. Krishna, M.D., currently serves on the FSMB Board of Directors as a Director-at-Large.Arizona Board of Osteopathic Examiners in Medicine and Surgery Arizona Board of Osteopathic Examiners licenses and regulates more than 2,500 doctors of osteopathic medicine and more than 200 osteopathic interns and residents receiving postgraduate training in Arizona hospitals and clinics. As defined by Arizona law, the board's mission is to protect the public by setting educational and training standards for licensure, and by reviewing complaints made against osteopathic physicians, interns and residents to ensure their conduct meets professional standards. The board is comprised of five osteopathic doctors and two public members. Board members are appointed by the governor to a five-year term and may serve up to two consecutive terms. Currently, Scott A. Steingard, D.O., serves on the FSMB Board of Directors as a Director-at-Large.
NEW MEXICO New Mexico Medical Board
New Mexico Medical Board "in the interest of public health, safety and welfare, and to protect the public from the improper, unprofessional, incompetent and unlawful practice of medicine." The board regulates the licensing of physicians and physician assistants. The board consists of nine members: six physician members, one physician assistant member and two public members. New Mexico Medical Board members who served as FSMB past presidents or chairs include Robert C. Derbyshire, M.D. (1965-6).New Mexico Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners
TEXAS
Texas Medical Board
Medical Practice Act . The Congress of the Republic of Texas then created the Board of Medical Censors for the purposes of administering examinations and granting medical licenses. Both documents are signed by Sam Houston , the president of the Republic of Texas and one of the most controversial and colorful figures in Texas history.
Shortly after Texas became part of the United States, the Board of Medical Censors was discontinued in 1848 by a general repealing law passed by the newly formed state legislature in 1847. For the next quarter century - a period which included the Mexican War, the Civil War and some of the Reconstruction era - Texas lawmakers made no regulatory laws concerning medical practice. But in 1873, legislators passed a law creating a Board of Examiners in each county and requiring physicians to have a degree from a medical school or a certificate from one of the county Boards of Medical Examiners. The Texas State Board of Medical Examiners was formed in 1907, replacing the county level system of regulation. The first Board included 11 physician members appointed by the governor and confirmed by the senate.
Legislation passed in 1981 mandated that three public members be added to the Board. The size of the board and the role of public members expanded several times. In 1993, the legislature added responsibilities for licensing physician assistants and acupuncturist to the agency, creating the Physician Assistant Board and the Board of Acupuncture Examiners. In 2005, the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners' name was shortened to Texas Medical Board. In 2012 - 175 years since Dr. Anson Jones crafted the first Medical Practice Act for the fledgling Republic of Texas - the Board has grown both in size and responsibility. Today the Board has 19 members, seven of whom are non-physicians, and the agency oversees the regulation of more than 60,000 physicians.
Over the years, numerous members from the Texas board have served in key leadership positions at the Federation. Former Texas board members who served as the Federation's elective President/Chair include Drs. Thomas J. Crowe, 1932-33; N. D. Buie, 1946-47; McKinley Crabb, 1955-56; Charles Godinez, 1984-85; William Fleming, III, 1998-99; and Thomas Kirksey, 2003-2004.
Two former members of the Texas board have served as the President/Chief Executive Officer of the Federation - Drs. McKinley Crabb (1962-1977) and James R. Winn (1989-2001).
Texas recipients of the Federation's John H. Clark Leadership Award include Drs. Max Butler and Clifford Burross , both of whom were deeply active in the FLEX and USMLE programs.
OKLAHOMA Oklahoma State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision
At the University of Oklahoma Western History Collections , oral histories of pioneer physicians reveal that most pioneer doctors were hard working, dedicated and practiced honestly and ethically, although few had any professional training. Most are believed to have gained practical knowledge by serving apprenticeships. The histories include mentions of quacks who earned the pejorative title through dishonesty rather than incompetence.
The United States amalgamated the two territories into the state of Oklahoma and the first statutes addressing the practice of medicine were passed one year later in 1908. However, medical regulation laws were enacted on a piecemeal basis and were often unenforceable. In 1923, a comprehensive Medical Practice Act was passed that created a State Board of Medical Examiners, prescribed its duties and regulated the practice of medicine and surgery and the "vending" of medicines in Oklahoma. Unprofessional conduct was given 10 definitions, including advertising in any manner, the curing of venereal diseases, the restoration of lost manhood, the treatment and curing of private diseases peculiar to men and women, and others.
Applicants for licensure at that time were examined in anatomy, physiology, hygiene, chemistry, surgery, obstetrics, gynecology, bacteriology, pathology, medical jurisprudence, material medica (study of medicinal drugs) and practice. Members of the board divvied up subject areas among themselves and wrote questions out in longhand.
Following World War II, the medical board voted to hire a combination attorney and legislative liaison. At this time, board members took turns conducting investigations. By 1973, the Oklahoma Medical Board had full-time investigators. Under the direction of board member Dr. Harry Tate, an Oklahoma City neurosurgeon, the board mandated that all complaints about physicians should be in writing and signed, and physicians appearing before the board were encouraged to hire attorneys.
During the 1980s under the guidance of Executive Director Carole Smith, the board's reputation for efficiency and fairness was established. Lawmakers extended its oversight responsibilities to athletic trainers, dieticians, occupational therapists and electrologists.
In 1994, the Medical Practice Act was reviewed and updated to remove outdated, inappropriate language. A listing of 43 types of unprofessional conduct was included in response to a judicial directive that discipline could only be meted out for specific violations. Since then, five more definitions of unprofessional conduct have been adopted into the act.Oklahoma State Board of Osteopathic Examiners Oklahoma State Board of Osteopathic Examiners was located for many years in the clinic of David Simpson, D.O. in Atoka, Okla. All licensing applications and paperwork were stored in the clinic. Dr. Simpson served as board member and board president and his nurse acted as board staff.
The first license was granted on Aug. 15, 1921, to Claude Denton Heasley, D.O., by reciprocity. Dr. Heasley was the obstetrician who delivered Paul F. Benien, Jr. Benien played football for the University of Oklahoma, became an osteopathic physician and later served as president of the Oklahoma Osteopathic Association and the osteopathic board. The second license was granted to Ellen Herrington Shultz, D.O. on the same date. Currently, there are more than 5,000 licensees of the board.
In the early 1970s, the board moved to its first real office rented from the Oklahoma Osteopathic Association . One staff member, Mary Plender, fulfilled all board staff functions. In the early 1980s, the first public member, Dan Rogers, J.D., was appointed to the board. In 1986, the board moved to its current location and hired its first investigator, Nina Hagler. In 1990, Gary Clark was hired as the board's first executive director. He expanded the vision for the board to include a national presence and was instrumental in organizing Administrators in Medicine .
Among the notable contributors to the board over the years are Glenn Smith, D.O. who served on the board for 19 years, served as president for three terms and now serves as a medical advisor on the board's Case Review Committee; Ed Felmlee, D.O. who was instrumental in creating the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine; Thomas Pickard, D.O. and Maurice Payne, D.O., who were among the first board members to be appointed to FSMB committees; and Cheryl A. Vaught, J.D. who served as a board president and also served in the national arena with her service on the FSMB Board of Directors and as the president of the FSMB Foundation.
ARKANSAS
Arkansas State Medical Board
Minutes of a November 1909 meeting of the State Medical Board of the Arkansas Medical Society reveal that 18 "applicants passed a satisfactory examination and were granted a certificate." Another nine "applicants having failed to make the required general average of 75%, the Board refused to grant a certificate."
In 1955, the Arkansas State Medical Board was established and empowered to license and regulate the practice of medicine. According to the minutes of the Arkansas State Medical Board's first meeting on March 17, 1955 , officers were elected, examination subjects were assigned to members and a motion carried that "the three former boards be asked to turn all records and property over to the new Secretary of the Arkansas Medical Board."
In 1971, the Arkansas State Medical Board assumed the licensing and regulatory duties of the Arkansas Osteopathic Board, which was abolished. Since then, the board has assumed licensing and regulatory responsibilities for other health care professions, including occupational therapists, respiratory therapists, physician assistants and radiologist assistants. The board consists of 14 members, including 10 physicians, one osteopathic physician, one member appointed upon the recommendation of the Physicians' Section of the Arkansas Medical, Dental and Pharmaceutical Association and two citizen members - one representing consumers and one who is 60 years of age or older representing the elderly.
In 1995, the legislature passed the Act 1066, which created the Arkansas State Medical Board's Centralized Credentials Verification Service (CCVS). Arkansas was the first state in the nation to base a CCVS within its licensing agency. State law allows the Arkansas State Medical Board to release, with a practitioner's written authorization, verification of credentials as needed by credentialing/health care organizations.
LOUISIANA
Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners
Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners was first established in 1894.
Louisiana has had five members of its board serve as FSMB presidents, including Arthur B. Brown, M.D. , who was the first FSMB president (1912-13), Edwin H. Lawson, M.D. (1959-60), Rhett McMahon, M.D. (1967-68) and Charles B. Odom, M.D. (1983-84).
The Louisiana board adopted pain management rules in 1997 that were used as a model for the FSMB publication: "Responsible Opioid Prescribing: A Physician's Guide." In 2004, the board adopted rules to govern the practice of office-based surgery by physicians. Louisiana was the first state to require, in 2006, the licensure of polysomnographers. Following the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Louisiana established a telemedicine permit in 2008 to allow for the practice of medicine across state lines. The board currently has offices in downtown New Orleans.
Several members have served on the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners for more than 20 years, including: Charles B. Odom, M.D., J. Morgan Lyons, M.D., Ike Muslow, M.D., F. P. Bordelon Jr., M.D., Richard M. Nunnally, M.D., and Elmo J. Laborde, M.D.
MISSISSIPPI
Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure
May Fahrinholt Jones, M.D., was the first woman to take the state medical board examination in Mississippi in 1901.
The Board of Medical Licensure Act was adopted in 1980 and the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure was established in 1981. Previously the board was known as the Mississippi Board of Health.
Several leaders from the Mississippi board have served the FSMB over the past decades, including R.N. Whitfield, M.D., FSMB President from 1947 to 1948, Dwight G. Crawford, M.D., who served on the FSMB Board of Directors, and Freda M. Bush, M.D. , who served as FSMB Chair from 2010 to 2011.
TENNESSEE Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners
Many untrained individuals also practiced medicine, especially on family members. Medicinal plants native to Tennessee were commonly used, as were drugs imported from Europe such as mercury and opium that were sold in mercantile stores. In the early 1800s, a number of medical sects had emerged and gained popularity. In response, trained physicians organized to defend their profession, forming the Medical Society of Tennessee in May 1830. The society had the power to license practicing physicians but rarely did so, largely due to the state's considerable geographic area and the outbreak of the Civil War. As a result, trained physicians remained a minority among the practicing physicians in Tennessee until licensing procedures became law in 1889.
The outbreak of cholera and yellow fever in the late 1800s created a sense of urgency behind efforts to regulate the practice of medicine and improve public health. Steamship travel along the Mississippi River facilitated the spread of cholera, yellow fever and small pox. The legislature passed laws in 1877 and 1878 to establish a state Board of Health with the power to quarantine and regulate sanitation in hospitals. In 10 years, the mortality rate in Memphis dropped by half.
In 1901, the Tennessee legislature passed a law creating the Board of Medical Examiners , which was given the responsibility of ensuring those who practice medicine and surgery are qualified. Four years later, the Board of Osteopathic Examination was created to regulate the practice of osteopathy. Both agencies serve as advisory boards to the state Department of Health.Tennessee Board of Osteopathic Examination
Many untrained individuals also practiced medicine, especially on family members. Medicinal plants native to Tennessee were commonly used, as were drugs imported from Europe such as mercury and opium that were sold in mercantile stores. In the early 1800s, a number of medical sects had emerged and gained popularity. In response, trained physicians organized to defend their profession, forming the Medical Society of Tennessee in May 1830. The society had the power to license practicing physicians but rarely did so, largely due to the state's considerable geographic area and the outbreak of the Civil War. As a result, trained physicians remained a minority among the practicing physicians in Tennessee until licensing procedures became law in 1889.
The outbreak of cholera and yellow fever in the late 1800s created a sense of urgency behind efforts to regulate the practice of medicine and improve public health. Steamship travel along the Mississippi River facilitated the spread of cholera, yellow fever and small pox. The legislature passed laws in 1877 and 1878 to establish a state Board of Health with the power to quarantine and regulate sanitation in hospitals. In 10 years, the mortality rate in Memphis dropped by half.
In 1901, the Tennessee legislature passed a law creating the Board of Medical Examiners , which was given the responsibility of ensuring those who practice medicine and surgery are qualified. Four years later, the Board of Osteopathic Examination was created to regulate the practice of osteopathy. Both agencies serve as advisory boards to the state Department of Health.
Leaders in the medical regulatory community in Tennessee include J. William McCord, Jr., D.O. who served as FSMB chair from 2006 to 2007 and Donald H. Polk, D.O. who currently serves on FSMB Board.
Source: Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, Medicine, Jane Crumpler DeFiore, University of Tennessee
ALABAMA
Alabama State Board of Medical Examiners
Dr. Samuel Thomson " provided they did not "bleed, apply a blister of Spanish flies, administer calomel. opium or laudanum."
The 1877 Medical Practice Act set aside the local examining boards and established the Medical Association of the State of Alabama as the body responsible for setting the standards and qualifications required of persons desiring to practice medicine in the state. In 1907, the Medical Practice Act was amended to require all examinations for certification to be held in Montgomery, Ala. The Board of Censors of the State Medical Association, which served as the State Health Department, also served as the State Board of Medical Examiners.
In 1959, a law was passed creating the Board of Healing Arts and requiring a basic science examination for medical and chiropractic application. The Board of Healing Arts certified qualification to applicants' individual licensing boards. In 1963, the duties of the Board of Medical Examiners were removed from the Board of Health and rested as a separate board. In 1981, the Board of Healing Arts was abolished and the Alabama Medical Licensure Commission created.
Currently comprised of 15 physicians, the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners serves as the investigative and prosecutorial body and is responsible for all administrative functions. The Medical Licensure Commission, which is comprised of seven physician members and one public member, serves as judge and jury before whom the board seeks punitive action. The commission issues medical licenses upon receipt of a Certificate of Qualification from the board. Today, the board has 31 full-time employees working to meet the requirements of the Medical Practice Act, up from just two in 1963.
In the early years of the 20th century, the American Medical Association (AMA) used the Medical Association of the State of Alabama's model when it reorganized, calling it "the best medical association in the world." Alabama physicians, William O. Baldwin, M.D., J. Marion Sims, M.D., and William C. Gorgas, M.D. served as AMA president in 1868-69, 1876-77 and 1901-10, respectively. Gorgas also served as U.S. Surgeon General as did Alabamians Luther Terry, M.D., and David Satcher, M.D. The current U.S. Surgeon General, Regina Benjamin, M.D., also hails from Alabama.
Among the other notable leaders in the Alabama medical regulatory community are Jerome Cochran, M.D., commonly call the "Father of Alabama Public Health" who served as the first state public health officer from 1879 until his death in 1896; Ira Myers, M.D., who served as Alabama State Health Officer from 1962 to 1986 and is credited with implementing extensive immunization programs that helped eliminate polio, neonatal tetanus and diphtheria; and Leon C. Hamrick, M.D., who served as the Chairman of the Board of Censures, Chairman of the State Committee of Public Health, and Chairman of the Medical Licensure Commission.
Alabama has also seen five board members elected to serve as president or chair of the FSMB including: Samuel Welch, M.D. (1926-7), J.N. Baker, M.D. (1936-7), Kenneth C. Yohn, M.D. (1990-1), James E. West, M.D. (1996-7), and Regina M. Benjamin, M.D. (2008-9). In addition, J. Daniel Gifford, M.D., currently serves on the FSMB Board of Directors as a Director-at-Large.
GEORGIA
Georgia Composite Medical Board
Dr. Milton Antony , Dean of the Medical Academy of Georgia in Augusta, now the Medical College of Georgia. Concerned by an influx of a roving legion of quacks, Dr. Antony and the Medical Society of Augusta persuaded the state legislature to create the Georgia Medical Licensing Board, with Dr. Antony as its first president. The first seal on the board's licensing certificate depicts three famous physicians at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine: Dr. Benjamin Rush, considered the father of American medicine and psychiatry, Dr. Philip Syng Physick, the father of American surgery, and Dr. Caspar Wistar, a famous anatomist. These specialties represented all fields of medicine existing at that time.
Subsequent actions by the state legislature in 1835 and 1839 drastically weakened the board's oversight powers, essentially shutting it down. It wasn't until 1847, after yellow fever and other epidemics, that the Georgia Legislature revived the
Act of 1825 and adopted the state's first Medical Practice Act. The act established minimum standards for licensure, required penalties for unlicensed practice and a code of conduct for licensees.
In 1860, Georgia and many other southern states passed a law automatically granting licenses to graduates from southern medical schools. Graduates from northern medical schools were required to pass an examination and pay a $10 exam fee, which was used to fund board activities. Minority physicians were granted licenses beginning in the late 1880s. In 1897, Ms. Eliza Ann Grier of Philadelphia became the first African American woman to receive a license in the state of Georgia. In 1909, osteopathic physicians were first licensed in Georgia. From 1972 to 2002, various allied health groups were added to the board's oversight, including physician assistants, respiratory therapists, perfusionists, orthotists and prosthetists.
Until 1978 the medical board was comprised solely of physicians. The first consumer member was added in 1978 and a second consumer member was added in 2009. In 1999, the state legislature enacted law establishing the board as an independent executive agency. In 2009, the legislature amended the Medical Practice Act, expanding the board to 15 members and changing its name to the Georgia Composite Medical Board.
FLORIDA
Florida Board of Medicine
It appears the Florida Board of Medicine was an entity of its own until 1969, when the Legislature enacted the Governmental Reorganization Act of 1969. At that time the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation was created and provided certain contractual services for the board. In 1979, the Department of Professional Regulation was established and served as the umbrella agency for the board. Also in 1979, Florida board member George S. Palmer, M.D. was elected FSMB president.
The Florida board was relocated to other departments in the 1990s, eventually transferring to the Florida Department of Health in 1997. Currently, the board is within the Division of Medical Quality Assurance under the Department of Health.
Among the milestones in medical regulation in Florida are being among the first states in the U.S. to adopt, in 1992, guidelines for all levels of office-based surgery and licensing and regulating in 2004 anesthesiologist assistants. The board also has created a rule on telemedicine in response to a rise in Internet prescribing and established a "pause rule" in response to an increase in wrong site surgeries.
Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine
The board was assigned to the Division of Professions within the newly created Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation in 1969. Three years later, the board was authorized to issue licenses by endorsement to licensed "out of state" physicians under certain conditions. Physician assistants were regulated in 1972 and authorized to work under the supervision of an osteopathic physician.
In 1979 following a comprehensive review of the Osteopathic Medical Practice Act, the composition of the board was changed to include five physicians and two lay members. In 1988 in response to a medical malpractice crisis, the legislature created the Division of Medical Quality Assurance to concentrate resources for the identification and discipline of unsafe professionals. The new division was tasked with the oversight of all regulatory boards that licensed health professionals.
The Florida Department of Health was created in 1996 and the Board of Osteopathic Medicine was assigned to the DOH one year later. While much has changed over the past 84 years, the founding premise of protecting the safety of the people of Florida through regulation has remained. Former Board Chair James Andriole, D.O., currently serves as Treasurer on the FSMB's Board of Directors.
WEST VIRGINIA West Virginia Board of Medicine
State Board of Health with an annual budget of $1,000. The board was replaced in 1915 with the newly created State Department of Health. With the department, the legislature created the office of the Commissioner of Health and a Public Health Council consisting of six physician members required to be graduates of "regular" medical schools with five years of medical practice experience. Members received compensation of $10 per diem. In 1949, the Public Health Council was abolished and a separate Medical Licensing Board was established. The board, which consisted of nine physician members, held its first meeting in the Capitol Building in Charleston in July 1949.
West Virginia did not adopt a Medical Practice Act until 1980. The West Virginia Medical Practice Act changed the medical board structure to 15 members - eight members holding the degree of doctor of medicine, two holding the degree of doctor of podiatric medicine, one a licensed physician assistant, three lay members to represent consumers and the State Health Officer. In the mid-1980s, new laws changed board procedures and functions in order to increase accountability and enable greater public access to information.
In 1984, Sister Eileen Catterson, M.D., was elected board president, succeeding Frank J. Holroyd Sr., M.D., who had served as board president for more than 30 consecutive years. Under Dr. Catterson and Ronald D. Walton, the board's first Executive Director, regular meetings of established standing committees were instituted. This permitted the bulk of the board's work to be accomplished at weekend meetings and reported to the full board at regular Monday meetings. In 2009, the board moved from under the direction of the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources and became an independent board.
The West Virginia board has benefitted from decades of service by several long-tenured individuals. Mr. Walton served the board as Executive Director for more than two decades. Reverend O. Richard Bowyer, current board president and the first consumer member to be elected president, has the distinction of being appointed to the board by five different governors. Lee Elliott Smith, M.D., was a member of the board for 12 years and FSMB Chair in 2005-2006. Deborah Lewis Rodecker was hired as the board's first in-house counsel in 1986 and remains General Counsel today. M. Ellen Briggs, the board's Executive Assistant, has overseen all directives and actions of the board offices since 1984.West Virginia Board of Osteopathy
For 25 years, board offices were located in Weirton, W.Va. In the 1940s, the board met regularly in the historic Daniel Boone Hotel in Charleston, W.Va., as shown in minutes from a 1949 board meeting . In 1972, the board began traveling to different cities within the state for its meetings. In 2009, the board office moved back permanently to the Daniel Boone Hotel, which had been extensively renovated in the early 1980s into an office building.
The board is composed of three licensed physicians with at least five years of practice and two lay members. The governor appoints board members with the consent of the West Virginia Senate.
MARYLAND
Maryland Board of Physicians
In 1888, the State Board of Health was authorized by the legislature to license all physicians. Four years later, the Medical Act of 1892 created the first state Board of Medical Examiners. The Board of Medical Examiners organized on June 2, 1892, and although the exams were advertised and various subjects assigned to members for examination, there were no applicants. The following year there were 54 applicants, of whom 45 were licensed. In 1894, an amendment to the Act of 1892 provided for general official registration of all physicians practicing in the state on or before the first day of June 1892.
From 1892 until the mid-1950s, two boards of medical examiners licensed physicians in Maryland - one represented the Medical and Chirurgical Faculty and the other the State Homeopathic Society. The General Assembly in 1957 abolished the Homeopathic Board and set up the State Board of Medical Examiners to regulate the practice of medicine. In 1968, responsibility for disciplining licensed physicians was assigned to the Commission on Medical Discipline of Maryland. Functions of the State Board of Medical Examiners and the Commission on Medical Discipline of Maryland combined in 1988 under the State Board of Physician Quality Assurance. In 2003, the board was renamed the State Board of Physicians.
Long time Maryland board President Herbert Harlan, M.D., (1906-1924) served as an energetic early member of the Federation of State Medical Boards' Executive Committee. In addition, Maryland board member Henry M. Fitzhugh, M.D. served as FSMB president from 1934 to 1935.
Source: http://www.msa.md.gov/msa and The medical annals of Maryland: 1799-1899 from Google books
PENNSYLVANIA Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine
Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine is one of 29 licensing boards and commissions within the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs. The bureau was established in 1963 within the Department of State to provide administrative, logistical and legal support services to professional and occupational licensing boards and commissions.
The State Board of Medicine is comprised of the Commissioner of the Professional and Occupational Affairs, the Secretary of Health or his designee, two public members, six medical doctors with unrestricted licenses who have practiced medicine in Pennsylvania for five years, and one member who is a nurse-midwife, physician assistant, perfusionist or respiratory therapist. Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine members who served as FSMB past presidents or chairs include: I.D. Metzger, M.D. (1935-6), Charles L. Shafer, M.D. (1951-2) and Wesley D. Richards, M.D. (1958-9).Pennsylvania State Board of Osteopathic Medicine
NEW YORK New York State Board for Professional Medical Conduct (Discipline)
New York State Board for Professional Conduct for the purpose of adjudicating medical misconduct cases against physicians, physician assistants, doctors of osteopathic medicine, specialist assistants and medical residents.
Prior to the creation of the board, the New York State Education Department handled both physician education and physician discipline. When the legislature split the licensing and disciplinary processes between the Departments of Education and Health, the board became responsible for investigating complaints, conducting hearings and recommending disciplinary actions to the Education Department. The Education Department and its governing body, the Board of Regents, determined final actions in all physician discipline cases.
In 1991, the legislature again modified the process. While the Education Department continued to grant licenses, the Health Department took over all disciplinary functions - including license revocation - for physicians, physician assistants and specialist assistants. The board assumed sole responsibility for determining final administrative actions in physician discipline cases. Other health care professionals such as nurses, dentists and podiatrists continue to be licensed and disciplined by the Education Department.
The New York State Board for Medical Professional Conduct is the largest physician discipline board in the country. Its membership ranges from 140 to 160 physician and lay members. Three distinguished members of the board have served as president of the FSMB: Harold Rypins, M.D. (1931-32), Jacob L. Loehner, M.D. (1949-50), and John H. Morton, M.D. (1976-77). In addition, Arthur S. Hengerer, M.D., currently serves on the FSMB Board of Directors as a Director-at-Large.New York State Board for Medicine (Licensure) The New York State Board of Medicine is one of these boards. Today, New York's system of professional regulation has grown to encompass nearly 750,000 practitioners in 48 professions.
The Office of the Professions is responsible for licensure and registration, professional discipline and public and professional education. Registration renewal fees from physicians, physician assistants and specialist assistants are 100 percent redirected to the State Department of Health's Office of Professional Medical Conduct, which investigates complaints against physicians, physician assistants and specialist assistants.
VERMONT Vermont Board of Medical Practice
Vermont Board of Medical Practice is responsible for the licensure of allopathic physicians, physician assistants and podiatrists, and the certification of anesthesiologist assistants. The board also investigates complaints and charges of unprofessional conduct against any licensee within its jurisdiction. It is composed of 17 members: nine physicians, one physician assistant, one podiatrist and six public members.
Vermont Board of Medical Practice members who served as FSMB past presidents or chairs include Susan M. Spaulding (1997-8).Vermont Board of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons
With the establishment of rules for the practice of medicine, the state gained its first hospital. The Mary Fletcher Hospital was established in Burlington, Vt., in 1879.
In 1904, a law was passed creating a State Board of Medical Registration and a Board of Osteopathic Examination and Registration. The latter was the predecessor of the current Vermont Board of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons . The Board of Osteopathic Examination and Registration was composed of three practicing osteopaths appointed by the governor. Each member served a three-year term, received a $5 per diem and necessary expenses. The state authorized an examination fee of $25.
Today, the Vermont Board of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons is a five-member board that acts to ensure applicants are qualified for licensure; sets standards for the profession by proposing statutes and adopting administrative rules; and, with the assistance of the state's Office of Professional Regulation, investigates complaints of unprofessional conduct and takes disciplinary action against licensees when necessary to protect the public.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
New Hampshire State Board of Medicine
New Hampshire Board of Medicine licenses and regulates allopathic and osteopathic physicians as well as physician assistants. Originally the board was comprised of five physicians. Later a paramedical representative was added along with two public members. Today, the board consists of 11 members, including five physicians or surgeons, one osteopathic physician or surgeon, one physician assistant, three public members and the commissioner or medical director of the Department of Health and Human Services. New Hampshire Board of Medicine members who served as FSMB past presidents or chairs include Robert E. Porter, M.D. (1995-6).
MAINE Maine Board of Licensure in Medicine
Two members of the Maine board have served as past president/chair of the FSMB: Adam P. Leighton, M.D., from 1945 to 1946 and George L. Maltby, M.D. , from 1973 to 1974. In addition, Randal C. Manning, MBA, CMBE currently serves on the FSMB Board of Directors as a Director-at-Large.Maine Board of Osteopathic Licensure
MASSACHUSETTS
Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine
The president and fellows of the Society were given the power to "examine all Candidates for the Practice of Physic and Surgery . and if upon such Examination said Candidates shall be found skilled in their Profession, and fitted for the Practice of it, they shall receive the Approbation of the Society." There was still no license requirement for someone to practice medicine, but the implication was that someone with the imprimatur of the Society was a better doctor.
More than 100 years later, on June 7, 1894, Governor Frederic Thomas Greenhalge signed an "Act to Provide for the Registration of Physicians and Surgeons," and thereby established the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine. The Board was composed of seven physicians appointed by the governor, who were to be paid $10 per day for their duties and reimbursed three cents per mile for their travels.
Any holder of a medical degree and anyone who had been practicing medicine in the Commonwealth for at least three years was deemed worthy of registration as, "a qualified physician," for a fee of $1. Beginning in 1895, the Board began examining applicants for registration who were of at least 21 years of age, and a graduate of a legally chartered medical college or university and, "of good moral character"- a provision that remains on the books to this day.
In addition, the Board's enabling act, definitely an artifact of its era, specifically exempted, "clairvoyants, persons practicing hypnotism, magnetic healing, mind cure, massage methods, christian science, cosmopathic, or any other method of healing," from the need for registration.
In 1921 the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in Lawrence v. Briery and Board of Registration in Medicine
As a result of a perceived crisis of medical malpractice, in 1975 the Legislature made significant changes to the Board's enabling act. The amendments were designed to address some of the problems by clarifying and expanding the board's authority. The law strengthened the grounds for discipline and established the board's authority to conduct a summary suspension.
The Board's purview was expanded in 1985 to include the licensure of acupuncturists. Legislation created the Committee on Acupuncture appointed by the Board. Subsequent regulations established the Committee's rules and procedures, very similar to those relating to physician licensure and conduct.
In 1986, the Board's authority was further broadened. A Patient Care Assessment Division was created at the Board (now named the Quality and Patient Safety Division). The function of QPSD is the oversight of institutional systems of quality assurance, risk management, peer review, utilization review and credentialing, known collectively as a Patient Care Assessment (PCA) Program. The systems comprising a health care facility's PCA program must be overseen by both physician and corporate leadership and must actively involve all health care providers and most employees at the institution.
The role of QPSD is unique among the nation's state licensing boards. Its activities differ from the Board's other more traditional functions. QPSD is not punitive or adversarial in nature; it does not discipline physicians or regulate their licensure. While its ultimate responsibility is protection of the public, QPSD is collaborative and educational when working with health care facilities. Its purpose is to ensure that each health care facility does its job to assure quality; to accomplish that end, it attempts to work collegially with facilities. By statute information received by QPSD is confidential and shielded from subpoena and discovery.
Today the Board licenses more than 33,000 physicians, 4,500 limited licensees in training programs and more than 1,000 acupuncturists. It resides administratively within the Department of Public Health, but is an independent agency, and its decisions are subject to review only by the Supreme Judicial Court.
Much has changed at the Board since 1894, but the name remains the same, and there are still seven members, although today two are members of the public, and physician members can be on the faculty of medical schools, which was previously prohibited. The members are no longer paid - but the travel reimbursement is 40 cents per mile today for travel, instead of the original 3 cents.
Two members of the Massachusetts board have served as past president/chair of the FSMB: Charles H. Cook, M.D., from 1913 to 1916 and Martin Crane, M.D., from 2009 to 2010.
RHODE ISLAND
Rhode Island Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline
More than 80 years later, the General Assembly enacted the Medical Practice Act of 1895 regulating the practice of medicine. The act followed laws regulating the pharmaceutical profession in 1871 and the practice of dentistry in 1881. In the year after the passage of the Medical Practice Act, the State Board of Health received more than 450 applications for medical licensure.
In 1914, the General Assembly amended the act to provide for the licensing of osteopaths by the State Board of Health based on recommendation by a Board of Examiners of Osteopathy. In 1927, the State Board of Health was given responsibility for the licensing of chiropractors based on recommendation by a State Board of Chiropractic Examiners.
In 1929, the legislature reorganized the State Board of Health into the Public Health Commission, which was responsible for the licensing and regulation of medical practitioners and supervision of other examining boards. At about same time, Byron U. Richards, M.D. of Rhode Island was elected president of the FSMB, serving from 1927 to 1928.
In 1935, the Board of Medical Examiners in Medicine was created to assume the licensing and regulatory responsibilities of the Public Health Commission. Five years later, the state adopted its basic sciences law, which required certification of education and knowledge in basic sciences to be licensed to practice medicine. The law was in response to a large number of naturopaths who, with little or no training in premedical science, were setting up offices to treat the sick.
Today the Rhode Island Board of Medical Licensure & Discipline is a 12-member board responsible for overseeing the medical licensing and disciplining of physicians for the state, as well as assuring the achievement of continuing medical education standards. The board is an agency of the state government established to protect the public and assure high practice and professional standards in the nearly 4,000-member physician community.
Sources: "Medical Licensure in Rhode Island," Casey T.B., Kelly E.F., DiMaio M., Myrick J.C., Rhode Island Medical Journal, 1962 Dec. 40:625-9.
"A History of Quality: The R.I. Medical Society's Commitment," Newell E. Warde, Ph.D., R.I. Medicine and Health, Vol. 92, No. 8, Aug. 2009, pg. 269-71.
CONNECTICUT
Connecticut Medical Examining Board
The current Department of Public Health was established in 1878 as the Connecticut Board of Health. Fifteen years later in 1893, the first Medical Practice Act was enacted, which provided that "no person shall for compensation, gain or reward, received or expected, treat operate or prescribe for any injury, deformity ailment, or disease, actual or imaginary, of another person, nor practice surgery unless issued, upon payment of two dollars, a certificate of registration by the state board of health." The Act also provided for the examination of physicians by a committee appointed by the Board of Health. Examinations at the time covered "Chemistry and Hygiene, Materia Medica and Therapeutics, Surgery, Practice, Pathology and Diagnosis, Anatomy, Midwifery and Diseases of Women, and Physiology" and took approximately 13½ hours.
In 1901, the State Board of Osteopathic Registration and Examination was established. In 1907, the Board of Health to Examine Physicians was named the Connecticut Medical Examining Board. During this period, the State Department of Health distributed an illustrated list of "Medical Licenses Revoked in Connecticut" to communicate information about disciplined physicians. In 1977, the responsibility for examining candidates for licensure was transferred to the Department of Public Health; disciplinary authority remained with the board. In 1999, legislation was passed which merged the Osteopathic Examining Board with the Connecticut Medical Examining Board and provided that osteopathic physicians be licensed as physicians and surgeons.
NEW JERSEY
New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners
New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners to regulate the practice of surgery and medicine, including regulation of chiropractic. The board is currently comprised of 12 physicians, one podiatrist, three public members, a certified nurse midwife, a licensed physician assistant, a bioanalytical laboratory director, the Commissioner of Health or his designee and a government liaison member.
Over the past 30 years, the role of the board has expanded to involve greater licensing responsibilities for health providers. For example, the passage of the Professional Medical Conduct Act of 1989, called for expanding identification of problem professionals, creation of a full-time Medical Director, registration of medical residents in training and practicing in New Jersey prior to licensure and authority to require reeducation. The law also created a Medical Practitioner Review Panel to enhance the board's ability to react quickly and effectively to reports of malpractice and adverse privilege actions taken by hospitals. Since 1990, the board has been required to notify pharmacists of physicians who are not permitted to prescribe controlled substances. In the mid 1990s, the board was required to ensure that physicians carry mandatory malpractice insurance and report out-of-state actions against their medical licenses. In 2003, the board was charged with the duty to implement a web-based physician profile accessible to the public via a link on the board's website.
While the legislature increased the board's responsibilities for its licensees, it also removed certain professions once subject to board jurisdiction from its oversight. Regulation of acupuncturists, physical therapists and chiropractic examiners was moved to separate examining boards. Currently the New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners is responsible for regulation of physicians, surgeons, podiatrists, certified nurse midwives, athletic trainers, bioanalytical lab directors, physician assistants, electrologists, hearing aid dispensers, perfusionists and to only a limited degree, acupuncturists.
DELAWARE
Delaware Board of Medical Practice
The board has a long history of active participation with the Federation of State Medical Boards. In 1964-65, the board's Andrew M. Gehret, M.D., served as the president of the FSMB. More recently, Delaware board member, Galicano Inguito, M.D., has served on the board of directors for the Federation of State Medical Boards.
In 1975, a comprehensive revision of the Medical Practice Act replaced the Medical Council with the Delaware Board of Medical Practice. Ignatius Tikellis, M.D., Lee Butler, M.D., and Vincent Lobo, D.O. were each instrumental in establishing guidelines for the board at its inception. Dr. Butler brought many programs adopted by the Delaware board to the FSMB, which were subsequently adopted.
VIRGINIA
Virginia Board of Medicine
Nearly 100 years later, in 1736, the Virginia Assembly passed "An act regulating fees and accounts of practitioners of physic." This act provided for a definite fee schedule that distinguished between those who had received training through apprenticeships and others "who have studied physic in any universities and taken a degree therein." Those with university degrees were allowed to charge higher fees.
On Jan. 31, 1884, the Virginia Assembly adopted the state's first Medical Practice Act to "regulate the practice of medicine and surgery." in the Commonwealth. The act created a board of medical examiners, the predecessor to the Virginia Board of Medicine , with representation from each Congressional District and from the state at large.
At the first examinations administered by the board on April 8, 1885, eight subcommittees of four members each conducted the examinations. There were 25 applicants, well outnumbered by 32 examiners, and 19 applicants passed. Of the six who failed to qualify, two openly defied the new law and began the practice of medicine. Both were indicted, taken to court, tried and convicted of the unlawful practice of medicine.
Nearly 30 years later, podiatry, osteopathy and chiropractic were added to the board, establishing a composite Board of Medicine. Other allied professions were added subsequently, beginning with physical therapy in 1958. In 1968, Virginia was among the first seven states to administer the Federation Licensing Examination (FLEX).
In the fall of 1979, the board moved its offices from Portsmouth, Va. to Richmond, Va. and joined other boards under the Department of Regulatory Boards. The name of the department was changed to the Department of Health Professions, a name that was suggested by former board member, Edward Calvert, M.D.
Leaders of note for the Virginia Board of Medicine include George Carroll, M.D., who served as the board's secretary-treasurer from 1971 to 1986, and Hillary H. Connor, M.D., who served as the board's first physician executive director from 1987 to 1994. In addition, Virginia board member Gerald J. Bechamps, M.D., served as FSMB chair from 1994 to 1995.
NORTH CAROLINA
North Carolina Medical Board
North Carolina Medical Board . Two years later, the General Assembly would vote to secede from the Union, making North Carolina the 11th and last state to secede.
A highway marker in Raleigh marks the location of the first board meeting in 1859 and minutes from the earliest board meetings remain. The first license was awarded on June 6, 1859 to Dr. Lucius Coke of Palmyra, N.C. The first female licensee was Dr. Annie Lowrie Alexander of Cowan's Ford, N.C. in 1885. The first African American licensee was Dr. Manassa T. Pope of Rich Square, N.C. in 1886.
In 1889, the General Assembly passed a law requiring every practicing physician to register before Jan. 1, 1890 with the clerk of Superior Court in the county in which he or she practiced. Three groups of physicians were permitted to register: those licensed by the Board of Medical Examiners, those earning a diploma from a medical college prior to March 7, 1885, and those swearing under oath they had practiced medicine in the state prior to March 7, 1885. The registration provision remained in effect until 1967.
In 1907, the state legislature enacted the Osteopathic Practice Act and created a Board of Osteopathy. In 1971, the Medical Practice Act was amended to make the Board of Medical Examiners responsible for the regulation of physician assistants (PAs). Dr. Eugene Stead of Duke University Medical Center established the PA profession, assembling the first class of four PAs in 1965.
The board's predominant method for testing for more than 100 years was the blue book essay exam, which was written and graded by board members. In 1968, the board adopted the Federal Licensing Examination (FLEX), putting an end to the blue book exam. In 1977, the Medical Practice Act established that applicants for full licensure must have at least one year of post-graduate training and in 1985, the law was modified to require three years of post-graduate training for foreign medical graduates. In 1995, the board recognized the osteopathic board examination for licensure in North Carolina. Previously, osteopathic physicians were required to be board-certified by a specialty board approved by the American Board of Medical Specialties or have passed FLEX for licensure.
In 1947, the board adopted a plan of rehabilitation for physicians with addiction. In 1978, the N.C. Medical Society created the Physicians Health and Effectiveness Committee and later, several board members were instrumental in drafting rules for operation of the N.C. Physicians Health and Effectiveness Program. In 1994, the organization's name was changes to the N.C. Physicians Health Program and it gained nonprofit, tax-exempt status.
Many board members have served the medical regulatory profession on the national level. Bryant L. Galusha, M.D., a board member in the 1960s and 1970s, served as an officer for the FSMB and became known as the driving force behind the establishment of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). He led the way in making the USMLE a reality by convincing skeptics that medical boards had no choice but to adopt a single, reliable and valid pathway to licensure. North Carolina Medical Board members who served as FSMB past presidents or chairs include: Joseph J. Combs, M.D. (1956-57), C.J. Glaspel, M.D. (1957-58), Frank L. Edmondson, M.D. (1971-72), Bryant L. Galusha, M.D. (1981-82), George C. Barrett, M.D. (2000-01) and Janelle A. Rhyne, M.D., M.A., MACP, who serves as the current FSMB Chair.
For more historical photos of the North Carolina Medical Board, please click here .
SOUTH CAROLINA
South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners
ALASKA
Alaska State Medical Board
HAWAII
Hawaii Medical Board
As the Kingdom of Hawaii, the island nation adopted its first Medical Practice Act in 1856. The monarchy was overthrown by resident Americans and Europeans in 1893 and Hawaii became an independent republic for five years. In 1896, the republic established the Hawaii Medical Board. The United States annexed Hawaii as a territory in 1898, but it wasn't until 1959 that Hawaii became the 50th U.S. state.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
District of Columbia Board of Medicine
District of Columbia Board of Medicine is responsible for protecting and enhancing the health, safety and well being of D.C. residents by promoting evidence-based best practices in health regulation and high standards of quality care, and by implementing policies that prevent adverse events.
The board is a division within the D.C. Department of Health, Health Regulation and Licensing Administration. It regulates the practice of medical and osteopathic physicians as well as physician assistants, naturopathic physicians, anesthesiology assistants, acupuncturists, surgical assistants, polysomnographers and postgraduate physicians in training. Regulation is achieved through the license application process, the disciplinary process and through outreach and educational activities.
To see addresses and phones of our representations, simply press on state at the left.
FSMB Executive Committee or Board of Director click here to download the document.
Ronald Agresta, MD (OH)
Raymond Albert, MD (OH)
James Andriole, DO (FL)
Nancy Achin Audese, JD (MA)
James Norment Baker, MD (AL)
John Baldy, MD (PA)
Creighton Barker, MD (CT)
George Barrett, MD (NC)
Gerald Bechamps, MD (VA)
Susan Behrens, MD (WI)
Regina Benjamin, MD (AL)
Dorothy Bernstein, MD (MN)
Walter Bierring, MD (IA)
William Bird, MD (DE)
K. P. Bonner, MD (NC)
Henry Briggs, MD (DE)
Andrew Bodnar, MD (MA)
Jesse W. Bowers, MD (IN)
Walter Bowers, MD (MA)
Arthur Brown, MD (LA)
Doris Brooker, MD (MN)
Leroy Buckler, MD (DE)
N. D. Buie, MD (TX)
Ray Bumgarner, JD (OH)
Freda Bush, MD (MS)
Robin Hunter Buskey, MPAS (NC)
Max Butler, MD (TX)
George Carroll, MD (VA)
Ray Casterline, MD (OR)
Douglas Cerf (AZ)
Hedy Chang (CA)
David Citron, MD (NC)
Gary Clark (OK)
John H. Clark, MD (UT)
Joseph J. Combs, MD (NC)
H. N. Connolly, MD (MI)
Guy Connor, MD (MI)
Charles Cook, MD (MA)
Anthony Cortese, DO (OR)
McKinley Crabb, MD (TX)
Henry Cramblett, MD (OH)
Martin Crane, MD (MA)
Thomas Crowe, MD (TX)
William D. Cutter, MD (NY)
Albert de Bey, MD (IA)
Robert Derbyshire, MD (NM)
Thomas Dilling, JD (OH)
Larry Dixon (AL)
Julian DuBois, MD (MN)
James Duncan, MD (OH)
Frank Edmondson, MD (NC)
E. J. Engberg, MD (MN)
Henry Fitzhugh, MD (MD)
William Fleming, III, MD (TX)
Richard Flood, MD (WV)
Frank Fuller, MD (IA)
Wilmot C. Foster, MD (OR)
Leslie Gallant (AK)
Bryant Galusha, MD (NC)
Andrew Gehret, MD (DE)
J. Daniel Gifford, MD (AL)
C. J. Glaspel, MD (NC)
Charles Godinez, MD (TX)
William Golden, MD (WV)
K. D. Graves, MD (VA)
Kathleen Haley, JD (OR)
Edwin S. Hamilton, MD (IL)
Herbert Harlan, MD (MD)
Curtis Harris, MD, JD (OK)
Roy B. Harrison, MD (LA)
Bruce Hasenkamp, JD (CA)
John F. Hassig, MD (KS)
Arthur Hengerer, MD (NY)
Leo Haywood, MD (NE)
John Hinton, DO (IN)
Howard Horns, MD (MN)
Otto Huffman, MD (NY)
Philip Ingaglio, MD (PA)
Galicano Inguito, MD (DE)
J. Craig Jackson, R. Ph. (UT)
William Jacott, MD (MN)
W. D. James (NC)
S. L. Jepsen, MD (WV)
Harold Jervey, MD (SC)
Aldia A. Johnson, MD (IA)
Earle Johnson, MD (NE)
Louis Jones, MD (CA)
Ronald Joseph (CA)
Charles B. Kelley, MD (NJ)
Stephen Kelley, JD (MN)
Thomas Kirksey, MD (TX)
Edward Knowlton, MD (MA)
L. J. Kosminsky, MD (AR)
Timothy Kowalski, DO (SC)
Ram Krishna, MD (AZ)
Donald Kuiper, MD (MI)
Lindy Kumagai, MD (CA)
George Lage, MD (OR)
P.T. Lamey, MD (IN)
N. Stacy Lankford, MD (IN)
F. J. Lawliss, MD (VT)
Edwin Lawson, MD (LA)
Robert Leach, JD (MN)
Kim Edward LeBlanc, MD (LA)
H. J. Lehnhoff, MD (NE)
Adam Leighton, MD (ME)
Earle LeVoernois, MD (OR)
Rendel Levonian, MD (CA)
Bruce Levy, MD (TX)
Jacob Loehner, MD (NY)
Roger Lutz, MD (FL)
Alexander MacAlister, MD (NJ)
John W. MacConnell, MD (NC)
George Maltby, MD (ME)
Randal Manning, MBA (ME)
Philip Margolis, MD (MI)
John. McCann, MD (OH)
J. D. McCarthy, MD (NE)
J. William McCord, DO (TN)
A. T. McCormack, MD (KY)
Thomas McDavit, MD (MN)
Tammy McGee, MBA (MN)
Bruce McIntyre, JD (RI)
J. Earl McIntyre, MD (KY)
Rhett McMahon, MD (OH)
Larry McPherson, JD (FL)
Howard McQuarrie, MD (UT)
Frederick Merchant, MD (OH)
Tully Patrowicz, MD (FL)
Carl G. Patterson, MD (OR)
Charles Pinkham, MD (CA)
Herbert Platter, MD (OH)
Harry Oberhelman, MD (CA)
Charles Odom, MD (LA)
Bernard O'Hora, MD (MI)
John T. O'Mara, MD (MD)
I.D. Metzger, MD (PA)
Josiah J. Moore, MD (IL)
Rev. Daniel J. Morrissey (PA)
John Morton, MD (NY)
Fred T. Murphy, MD (AR)
G. D. Murphy, MD (AR)
William Scott Nay, MD (VT)
John Neal, MD (IL)
Barbara Neuman, JD (VT)
Richard Nunnally, MD (LA)
Dan Nye, MD (TN)
James D. Osborn, MD (OK)
George Palmer, MD (FL)
Dinesh Patel, MD (MA)
Sam Poindexter, MD (ID)
Donald Polk, DO (TN)
Robert Porter, MD (NH)
Maynard Pride, MD (WV)
Hormoz Rassekh, MD (IA)
Janelle Rhyne, MD (NC)
Byron Richards, MD (RI)
Wesley Richards, MD (PA)
Salvatore Riggio, MD (MO)
Susan Rose, DO (MI)
Hubert Royster, MD (NC)
John Rupel, MD (WI)
Harold Rypins, MD (NY)
John Sage, MD (NE)
Harold J. Sauer, MD (MI)
Stephen Schabel, MD (SC)
Barbara Schneidman, MD (WA)
Kenneth Schnepp, MD (IL)
Elmer Schnoor, MD (MI)
Stephen Seeling, JD (SC)
Charles Shafer, MD (PA)
Alan Shumacher, MD (CA)
Melvin Sigel, MD (MN)
Lee Smith, MD (WV)
Lee H. Smith, MD (NY)
Susan Spaulding (VT)
Bryan Spires, MD (TX)
Scott Steingard, DO (AZ)
David Strickler, MD (CO)
George Sullivan, MD (ME)
Conrad Suttner, MD (WA)
E. C. Swanson, MD (MI)
Clyde Swett, MD (ME)
Jon Thomas, MD (MN)
Russell Thomas, DO (TX)
Charles Tuttle, MD (CT)
George Van Komen, MD (UT)
Cheryl Vaught, JD (OK)
Walter Vest, MD (WV)
Michael Vitek, MD (CO)
F. C. Warnshuis, MD (MI)
Andrew Watry, MPA (NC)
Samuel Welch, MD (AL)
James West, MD (AL)
Richard Whitehouse, JD (OH)
R. N. Whitfield, MD (MS)
Harold Wilkins, MD (CA)
G. M. Williamson, MD (ND)
Cheryl Winchell, MD (MD)
Edward Wolfson, MD (NY)
Kenneth Yohn, MD (AL)
