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We represent nurses, physicians, pharmacists, mental health professionals and veterinarians before their licensing boards. Your license is one of your most valuable assets. We are committed to excellence in defending your right to practice.
Your license to practice is issued by the a board of professionals made up of individuals with professional backgrounds similar to yours and a consumer member who is generally not a member of your profession. The charge of these individuals is to protect the public.
The disciplinary process begins with a complaint that is made to the Indiana Attorney General's office by an employee, co-worker, law enforcement agent, employer, patient, patient family member or client. The Attorney General then opens an investigation. A copy of the complaint is forwarded to you with a letter requesting that you respond within 20 days.
While you must respond to that letter, any information that you provide can be used to prosecute the claim against you. This is especially problematic if you are responding to an incident that happened several weeks or months ago and you do not have medical records or other documentation regarding the incident. You may not remember everything that happened or the exact sequence in which it happened. Any inconsistency between the documentation and your statement, may be interpreted as your statement is lacking in credibility rather than a lapse in memory.
I strongly recommend that you consult with an attorney prior to responding to the Attorney General's office. It is vital that you have the information that you need in making your response.
The office of the Attorney General may or may not wait until you respond to the allegations before filing a complaint against you. They may file a Complaint for Emergency Summary Suspension A hearing may be held with little or no notice to you. Complaints for summary suspension often include only a general statement of facts alleging that a professional represents a clear and immediate danger to the public health and safety if the professional is allowed to continue to practice. Even if you receive no notice, the Board may find that you are an immediate danger to the public health and safely and order your license suspended for 90 days. You may not practice while your license is suspended.
Whether or not the Attorney General files a Complaint for Summary Suspension, they may file a Complaint. The Complaint alleges that you have violated your practice standards through substance abuse, failure to provide patients an appropriate standard of care, criminal conviction or allegation, violation of sexual boundaries or other act.
Disciplinary hearings are held before the board. You may request a settlement hearing with a Board representative. A case may be resolved through a settlement agreement. If there is not a settlement, the Board will conduct a public hearing. After a hearing, the board will deliberate and make its findings of fact and conclusions of law, and then the board decides the appropriate disciplinary sanction, if any, to impose on the professional's license. The possible sanctions are: revocation, suspension, probation, censure, reprimand, or a combination of these. The Board may order education, supervision for a period of time, substance abuse treatment or enrollment with ISNAP or similar program. The boards also have the authority to impose a fine in an amount not to exceed $1000 for each violation of law, except for a finding of incompetence due to a physical or mental disability.
Marcus Law Firm will ensure that your rights are preserved should your license ever be at risk. | 
