Ariz. medical board took physician licensing shortcuts

The Arizona Medical Board put patients at risk by failing to properly conduct background investigations on physicians applying for licenses after its executive director told staff to streamline the process, according to a report released last week.

The report from the independent Arizona Ombudsman-Citizens’ Aide, an independent agency of the Arizona Legislature, substantiated 19 of 20 allegations brought by current and former employees and recommended that all physician licenses issued since September 2011 be reviewed by the state auditor. The streamlined process violated state law for issuing medical licenses. The board issued a statement to The Arizona Republic saying it already made changes to address the concerns.