Maryland bill would require criminal background checks for physicians

The Maryland Board of Physicians plans to propose legislation in 2015 that requires physicians to be fingerprinted and continually monitored for criminal charges. Physicians would be required to apply for a background check when first seeking a medical license, and currently practicing physicians would be checked when they renew their license. The board plans to use an FBI program that allows indefinite monitoring and would alert regulators to any new criminal activity.

The proposed legislation does not prescribe the circumstances under which the Board of Physicians would deny or revoke a license, instead giving officials flexibility to consider the severity of the crime, the applicant's age when it was committed, how much time has passed, and what he or she has been doing since.

Many categories of professionals, including nurses, therapists and social workers, are already subject to state criminal background checks. Maryland is one of few states that does not include physicians in that group.

Source: The Baltimore Sun