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The
Medical Board of California is a state government agency,
which licenses and disciplines medical doctors. The Board
provides two principal types of services to consumers: license
information, and investigation of complaints against physicians.
In
addition to physicians, the Board also oversees the following
professions:
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Medical Assistants
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Physician Assistants
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Podiatrists
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Psychologists
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Registered Dispensing Opticians
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Research Psychoanalysts
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Midwives
The
Board is not a physician
referral service. That is, it cannot direct you to a physician
in your community to be your personal doctor. For some suggestions
on how to select a doctor, see:
Choosing a Doctor.
Once
you have a physician's name, you can call the Board to find
out if the doctor's license is current and valid, and also
whether there have been any disciplinary actions or other
actions against the doctor. See Physician's
License Verification *
The
Board has several publications to assist patients with serious
medical conditions including breast or prostate cancer,
dealing with inappropriate sexual behavior by physicians
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or
other health practitioners, donating blood prior to having
surgery, and other topics.
See Board
Publications *
The
Board does not regulate health plans or insurance companies.
If you need information or have a problem with a health
plan (HMO) contact the Department of Corporations at
1-800-400-0815. For
information or problems with an insurance company,
contact the Department of Insurance at 213-897-8921.
Some
doctors have problems with alcohol, or with drugs. The Board
operates a program that works to help such doctors recover
from their addictions. For information about this program,
see the page Diversion
Program *
If
you have a problem with a physician or other health professional
regulated by the Medical Board, you can file a complaint.
If the problem appears to be a violation of the law, the
Board will investigate it, and if a violation is confirmed,
take legal action against the licensee. See Complaints
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Phone
numbers for both general information and filing a complaint
are listed for many health related professions regulated
by state licensing boards. See Useful
Phone Numbers *
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