News Release — May 18, 2006

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May 18, 2006

First Public Member Medical Board President in Seven Years
La Jolla Communications Strategist Elected President
of the Medical Board of California

SACRAMENTO—Public Affairs Communications Strategist and Facilitator Steve Alexander of La Jolla, California has been elected president of the Medical Board of California, its first public member president in seven years. The Medical Board is the state agency responsible for licensing and regulating over 120,000 physicians in California. The board has 21 members; 12 are physicians, and nine are public members.

Alexander was reappointed to the board by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in July 2004. He has been a board member since June 2001.

"Every day consumers make critical choices about their healthcare providers," said Alexander. "The board's consumer protection mission is vital to that choice. The Medical Board faces important opportunities on behalf of California's healthcare consumers, and I look forward to playing a leadership role to help improve the board's effectiveness in fulfilling its public protection mission. This is a great honor, and I'm humbled the board has selected me to serve as its president."

The three initiatives Mr. Alexander will be working closely with the board on are:

• Board restructuring - The goal is to create a model board that fulfills the board's consumer protection mission and ensures that physician licensing is processed efficiently, enforcement and disciplinary actions are fair and effective, and consumers receive timely, accurate and useful information about their doctors. Board members and executive staff have been reexamining the structure of the board, which has not changed in 30 years.
• New enforcement model - Recent law teams the board's investigative staff with deputy attorneys general from the Health Quality Enforcement Section of the Attorney General's Office to make the board's enforcement actions more efficient and effective for physicians and consumers.
• Medical error reporting - Recent trends throughout the nation and in California encourage physicians to communicate directly with patients about medical errors when they happen, seek solutions to what may have caused them, and compensate affected patients. The models have shown promise in regions of the country and could reduce malpractice lawsuits and premiums in California.

Issues the board will continue to address this year include professionalism and continuing competency, incentives such as the board's Physician Loan Repayment Program that encourage physicians to practice in underserved areas of California, and improved recruitment of expert witnesses who serve as the backbone of the board's enforcement program.

Julie D'Angelo Fellmeth, administrative director of the Center for Public Interest Law and former Medical Board enforcement monitor, said, "Steve Alexander has been a strong and consistent voice for public protection on the Medical Board. We look forward to continuing our work with the board during his presidency."

Former Board President Gary Gitnick, M.D. said, "Steve Alexander's well-known leadership abilities, energy and dedication to the interests of patients will make him a very effective board president. As a physician member of the board, I am pleased to work with Steve on the board's programs and projects that fulfill the board's consumer protection mission."

Alexander added, "My goal during my term is to raise awareness of the Medical Board's role in helping consumers get accurate, useful and timely information about their doctors. It's also critically important that the physician community have confidence that the board is doing the best job possible in the timely processing of licenses and the even and just application of our disciplinary actions."

Mr. Alexander is a recognized leader with a long history of community and civic involvement. He served as a commissioner for San Diego's Park and Recreation Board, has previously chaired California's Behavioral Sciences Board and has years of experience in the regulation of professions. In his specialty of facilitation and communications in public affairs, he works throughout the country with government, non-profit and private clients in large public projects, consensus building, strategic planning and communications. Through his work, Mr. Alexander has developed a reputation with elected officials, government staff, and business and community leaders as a trusted facilitator and communications strategist. He is a member of the International Association of Facilitators and the International Association of Public Participation.

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The mission of the Medical Board is to protect healthcare consumers through the proper licensing and regulation of physicians and surgeons and certain allied healthcare professions and through the vigorous, objective enforcement of the Medical Practice Act.

If you have a question or complaint about the healthcare you are receiving, the board encourages you to visit its Web site at www.caldocinfo.ca.gov or for questions call the Consumer Information Line at (916) 263-2382, or with complaints call (800) 633-2322.

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