Arizona Board of Osteopathic Examiners

The Board reviewed an application for temporary licensure for a physician, which involved discussions regarding unresolved licensing issues, past disciplinary history in other states, and a request for a hearing at the Office of Administrative Hearings. After convening in executive session for legal advice, the Board voted to grant an unrestricted temporary license valid for 250 days.

The board addressed various investigative hearings resulting in actions such as administrative warnings, decrees of censure, letters of concern, and interim orders. Licensure applications were reviewed and processed, including the issuance of unrestricted licenses and consent agreements for licensure. The board also handled consent agendas, accepted voluntary surrenders of licenses, and denied a request for the termination of probation. Additionally, a session was held with medical students regarding the practice of osteopathic medicine, and an update was provided by the Executive Director.

The Board reviewed several applications for medical licensure, resulting in the issuance of full unrestricted licenses and one Consent Agreement with a Letter of Concern. The Board also addressed a request to modify a previously issued consent agreement, opting for modified terms instead of terminating probation. Additionally, the Board conducted elections for the positions of President and Vice-President for the upcoming calendar year, discussed potential legislative updates regarding independent reviews of medical care cases, and received an administrative report from the Executive Director regarding financial standing and application processing efficiency. A session was held with medical students to discuss the practice of osteopathic medicine.

The meeting began with the Board's Mission Statement being read aloud. Key discussions focused on investigative hearings for several physicians. For Dr. Ann McCombs, discussions involved a prescription error and documentation issues, resulting in an interim order for a fund of knowledge examination. For Dr. Brett Blaser, the Board issued a Letter of Concern regarding misleading advertising about his vasectomy specialization. A continuance was granted for Dr. Suzanne Bentz's case. For Dr. David Foy, issues regarding patient examination and record keeping led to a Non-Disciplinary Letter of Concern. For Dr. James Clark, concerns regarding the reduction of clinical privileges due to interpretation errors resulted in an interim order for a fund of knowledge evaluation. Further action involved a consent agreement review for Dr. Tyler Cobbs regarding failure to disclose an arrest on a permit application, resulting in the issuance of a full unrestricted license. A separate consent agenda included the issuance of Non-Disciplinary Letters of Concern for multiple physicians. Finally, the Board discussed Medical Spa and IV Hydration Clinics, converting the AI committee to an Emerging Practice Trends Committee to address this and similar issues.

The meeting commenced with the Board President calling the session to order and reading the Board's Mission Statement. Key discussions centered on reviewing, considering, and taking action on several investigative hearings pursuant to A.R.S. § 32-1855 (E). This included granting a continuance for one case (DO-24-0102A) and issuing a Non-Disciplinary Letter of Concern in another (DO-24-0084A). For case DO-24-0089A, the Board issued a Decree of Censure, required 40 hours of CME, and mandated reimbursement for hearing/investigation costs. The Board also addressed applications for licensure, granting a full unrestricted license for two applicants (DO-24-0177A and DO-24-0146A) while issuing a Non-Disciplinary Letter of Concern to one; another applicant's investigation was continued. The Board accepted proposed consent agreements for two other cases (DO-24-0110A and DO-24-0115A) relating to unprofessional conduct and prescribing concerns. Finally, a consent agenda for dismissal was accepted for three other cases, an update on the 2025 Legislative Session was provided, and the Executive Director reported on dismissed complaints.