Legal Advisor: Boundary Violations and Frequent Issues

Introduction

The Board of Registration in Medicine (BRM) is a state agency charged with the responsibility of licensing physicians in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, investigating patient complaints against physicians, and promulgating policy and regulations concerning the practice of medicine. Although the BRM has extensive information that is helpful to physicians (including a variety of downloadable forms available on their website at www.massmedboard.org), it is important to realize that the BRM’s mission is to “promote the public health, welfare, and safety.” The Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) is a physician-member organization that serves and advocates for physician interests, and is not affiliated with the BRM. The MMS and the BRM share a mutual interest in advocating for patients. The BRM, it should be noted, includes five physicians among its seven-member board.

One of the BRM’s principal functions is the investigation of patient complaints, which may result in discipline against a physician’ s license. The following is a brief overview of common issues addressed by the BRM in disciplinary actions and suggestions for minimizing the chances that your license will be disciplined. As always, this article highlights common legal issues but should not be used as a substitute for individual legal advice.

Next: Boundary Issues