Medical License Defense

Defending Your South Carolina Medical License

Receiving notice that a complaint has been initiated against your South Carolina Medical License is daunting. If your license is under investigation with the South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners, you are not alone. Our statewide professional licensing team is here to help. Our team is routinely retained by professional liability carriers facing malpractice claims. Our experience will prove valuable to defending your medical license complaint. If you carry insurance coverage, we are happy to work directly with your carrier on your behalf.

We believe that properly defending your South Carolina medical license begins at the investigative stage. It is critical that you secure representation to ensure that your case is properly defended and to protect your right to continued practice.

Medical Board complaints come from a variety of sources including patients, colleagues or coworkers, even by way of self report.   After being processed by the complaint analyst, the complaint will be assigned to an investigator and proceed through the LLR administrative process. 

Common SC Medical Board Complaints Include:

• Substandard patient care asserted by a patient or family member;
• Criminal conduct, including an accusation of DUI;
• Failure to report information on your initial application or renewal paperwork;
• Improper delegation of practice or failure to properly supervise;
• Unnecessarily prescribing controlled medication to a patient, or failure to properly monitor a patient’s use of controlled medication;
• Unprofessional conduct on the job, including inappropriate interaction with staff or patients;
• An inappropriate relationship with a patient or family member of a patient;
• Improper or fraudulent billing practices;
• Practicing while under the influence of medication even when lawfully prescribed; and
• Inadequate or incomplete documentation.

Regardless of the nature of the allegation, our medical license defense attorneys are here to help.  If you are contacted by an investigator from the South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners, we strongly suggest that you give us a call before you respond. Don’t make the mistake of speaking with an LLR investigator before consulting a member of our team to discuss the process, your legal rights, and what you can expect.

Defending a South Carolina Medical Board Investigation

The Investigative Process

If you have been contacted by an investigator with the Board of Medical Examiners, your defense begins at the investigative stage.

You have the right to retain an attorney to represent you, and to advocate on your behalf. Although every case is unique, this step is often invaluable to your defense.

Although the Board of Medical Examiners must prove that you violated the South Carolina Medical Practice Act or deviated from the appropriate standard of care, we firmly believe that actively participating in the investigative process and framing the evidence can ultimately impact the disposition of your medical board case.

The statement you submit to the assigned LLR investigator will become part of your file. We routinely work with clients to review available records and evidence, and to provide a statement on the client’s behalf.  Our team has decades of experience defending medical malpractice claims.  We are prepared to draft and submit a statement on your behalf during the investigative process.

Challenging a Temporary Suspension Order

From time to time clients are served with a (TSO) or an order for evaluation during the investigative process.  Temporary suspension orders only issued when there is a question related to fitness for practice or an emergent need to protect the public.

It is extremely important to understand that if you are served with a TSO you may not practice until the TSO is lifted.

You have a right to an emergency hearing, but it must be timely requested.

If retained early enough, we can be authorized to accept service on your behalf.

Allowing us to accept service will ensure that an LLR investigator does not serve you at your home or business. Our professional license defense team has experience challenging temporary suspension orders. We will fight to ensure your right to continue to practice.

The Informal Conference

Our professional licensing attorneys have experience preparing, and representing, physicians in the informal conference.

The informal conference provides you with an opportunity to discuss the nature of the allegations and to learn more about the Medical Board’s perspective of your case going forward.

Although LLR must prove that you violated the Board of Medical Examiners Practice Act in order to impose disciplinary action, proper preparation and a keen eye for understanding the concerns presented at your informal conference can ultimately impact the disposition of your case.

Preparing For a South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners Appearance

Whether triggered by an application to practice in South Carolina, the result of information provided on your renewal, or a pending complaint, if you are scheduled to appear before the South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners, it is critical that you are prepared for your appearance.

Our medical board attorneys will meet with the attorney assigned to the case and review the evidence, including the expert report. When necessary, an independent expert can be retained.

Our Medical Board attorneys have represented healthcare practitioners for decades. We will ensure that you are prepared and ready to address, and respond to, the Medical Board’s concerns.  If you have received notice of an appearance before the South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners, call or email us today to speak directly with a medical license defense attorney. 803-227-4254.