WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

SUMMARY SUSPENSIONS

The regulatory board may learn about possible misconduct by a licensee or registrant by way of a complaint or sometimes through a media article. 

• At what point should the board temporarily remove the practice privilege pending more thorough investigation? 
• Does your board have guidelines for imposing a temporary or summary suspension?  Or are circumstances so individualized that they are difficult to place into guidelines?
• Should there be other interim options, such as practice monitors or restrictions while still enabling the chiropractor to practice? Or is the potential danger to the public sufficient to warrant “time out”? 
• How much information should be available on the board’s public website? 
• How does the board balance the public interest against the probable impact on a doctor’s practice?
• How do the agency’s resources enter into these decisions?

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Recent news stories where boards have issued immediate suspensions
​pending the full disciplinary process

These stories are presented for discussion. No guilt or innocence is implied. Please search the internet for updates.

AUSTRALIA  

Chiropractor Jesse Thurlow charged with alleged rape, chiro license suspended
Updated: 21:03 BST, 12 June 2019
A buff chiropractor whose clients included ‘the Bachelor’ Tim Robards has been charged with rape and has had his practising license suspended.  MORE

BRITISH COLUMBIA

'Brain balancing' B.C. chiropractor suspended amid 3 investigations
Daniel Sullins' claim to practice 'board certified functional neurology' is dangerous, doctor says
CBC News · Posted: Jun 20, 2019 7:00 AM PT
Daniel Sullins was a chiropractor in Texas before moving his practice to North Vancouver. (mybrainscore.com). Just 18 months after he arrived in B.C., Dan Sullins is already facing three investigations into his "brain balancing" chiropractic practice on the North Shore. The College of Chiropractors suspended Sullins' registration on Tuesday, stating that the public could be at risk if he continued practising.  MORE

WASHINGTON STATE - USA

Chelan County Based Chiropractor Has License Suspended While Pending Legal Action
Posted August 9, 2019
Washington Department of Health sent a press release Friday morning, announcing Christie Collier, Chelan County chiropractor, had her license suspended based on charges that she is allegedly unable to practice with reasonable skill and safety.
Her chiropractor practice in Washington is halted until the charges are resolved. According to the press release, she has 20 days to request a hearing to contest the charges along with the suspension.  MORE

MICHIGAN – USA​

More than two dozen new charges brought against Grand Blanc-area chiropractor
Updated Jun 5, 2019; Posted Jun 5, 2019
GRAND BLANC TWP, MI – A Grand Blanc Township chiropractor is facing dozens of new charges after being accused of inappropriately touching patients. Charles Arthur Jackson, 66, was originally charged with two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct. …. Jackson’s license to practice was suspended on April 19, according to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.  MORE

CALIFORNIA – USA

Moreno Valley chiropractor arrested on suspicion of sexual battery
Updated September 13, 2019​
A Moreno Valley chiropractor was arrested this week on a sexual battery allegation in connection with an incident that occurred in his office in July. Sam Khumooro, 52, of Eastvale, was taken into custody Tuesday and booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center with a bail of $5,000. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said the alleged assault occurred July 25 at Khumooro Chiropractic in the 23000 block of Alessandro Boulevard. … the Board of Chiropractic Examiners can petition for an interim suspension order of a chiropractor’s license if evidence is discovered that suggests allowing the licensee to practice would place the public in danger.  MORE
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CONSISTENCY OR DISPARITY IN SANCTIONS

​Once a registrant or licensee has been found to be in violation of a board’s legal requirements for practice,
all boards deal with the unique sanction aspects of an individual case. These include consider mitigating circumstances—factors that weigh in the defendant's favor—and aggravating circumstances--
factors supporting a stiffer penalty, as well as extenuating circumstances.​

Round people do not all fit in the same square box. Yet boards also have a mandate to seek consistency to
ensure fairness.

• ​Do you have written “sentencing” guidelines that are referenced in all cases?
• ​Do you track and review regularly the types of violations and the sanctions?
• Or do you depend on others for “institutional recollection”?
• How do your numbers compare with other health care professional boards in your jurisdiction?
• How do they compare with other chiropractic regulatory agencies worldwide?
• Can discrepancies be clearly explained?
• Sexual violations are particularly difficult, and attract media attention. Should the board’s sanctions relate
• ​in any way to any criminal convictions or are they completely separate?
• What is the process for considering previous violations (criminal as well as board actions)?
• Do malpractice claims affect the sanction decisions?
• ​What legal options do you have for sanctions? For example, can you impose monitoring? Collect fines? Recover costs? Suspend indefinitely? Is a revocation permanent or are there consistent conditions including timeframes) imposed where a person who has lost the privilege of practice may reapply?

Recent news stories recent news stories involving various sanctions
​https://www.chiroregulation.org/recent-news-articles.html

These stories are presented for discussion. No guilt or innocence is implied. Please search the internet for updates.