How does the Board handle professional liability and malpractice claims?

• A. The Board provides malpractice defense to licensees.
• B. The Board handles malpractice claims in civil court exclusively.
• C. The Board may review allegations of malpractice as unprofessional conduct; it does not provide malpractice defense, but has disciplinary authority.
• D. The Board automatically defers all malpractice concerns to the patient’s private attorney.

Answer: (C)

Boards regulate professional conduct to protect the public, not defend licensees in malpractice lawsuits. They review allegations of malpractice only when they indicate possible unprofessional conduct or violations of standards, and they have the authority to discipline licensees if warranted. The actual defense of a malpractice claim happens in civil court between the patient and the practitioner, typically through the clinician’s attorney. The Board does not provide malpractice defense, and it does not handle malpractice claims in civil court. It also does not automatically defer everything to a private attorney. This is why the correct choice describes the Board as able to review malpractice allegations as unprofessional conduct and to discipline, without providing defense.