The Board is responsible for investigating complaints against licensees and for taking action against the license of those who fail to maintain Maryland's high standards of medical care delivery or who break the laws governing licensure.
Patients often become upset about the medical care that they receive when they feel that they have been treated rudely or been made to wait too long. Often, they feel that they have been overcharged for the quality of the service they have received. As the Board reviews complaints, the physician or health care provider usually will be informed of a complaint and may be asked to respond to the allegation. Often, after hearing from the Board, the physician or health care provider and the patient are able to come to a resolution of the matter. A typical complaint resolved in this fashion might deal with the prompt release of medical records or the cost of copying the record.
The Board takes disciplinary action when an individual violates the Maryland Medical Practice Act in a manner determined by the Board to warrant prosecution.
The following are some of the more serious infractions that lead to the Board placing restrictions on a licensee or even revoking a license to practice in Maryland:
Download the Complaint Form pdf or the MS Word version. The Board investigates ALL complaints it receives to determine whether the licensee is fulfilling his/her obligations under the Medical Practice Act. If there is a breach, the Board has the authority to take action against the license of the health care provider. These actions could be as minor as a letter of concern informing the licensee of the Board's attitude regarding a specific health delivery problem, or as serious as a revocation of a license if there has been a serious breach of the law. The Board also has authority to reprimand, suspend the license to practice, or assess fines up to $50,000.
The Board does not have the authority to order a physician to make recompense to an individual who thinks he/she has been harmed by a physician. This type of complaint is pursued by contacting an attorney and initiating a suit in the civil justice system. Even if the Board disciplines a licensee, that information is not admissible in a civil action, even though the disciplinary action may be based on the same facts.