One of the primary goals of the Healthcare Alliance for Regulatory Board Reform (HARBR) is to help healthcare professionals when they are being aggressed by their healthcare regulatory board (or a healthcare regulatory board). One of the reasons this is a priority is due to the urgency of the matter when a healthcare professional is notified that there is a complaint, an investigation, or a proposed disciplinary action against them. HARBR regards such matters as emergencies and would like every practicing healthcare professional to know that these actions are emergencies.

Without delving into the psychological dynamics at this point, HARBR has found that far too many professionals sign some sort of agreement with their boards. Although HARBR is working on ways for licensees and other targeted professionals to rescind such agreements we do not have that worked out at present. Under the duress of possible board action against ones license and livelihood, many are lead to believe that being “cooperative” will make things better. It doesn’t. We advise licensees and other under fire by healthcare licensing boards to SIGN NOTHING and AGREE TO NOTHING until they have been in touch with a good attorney (we can make recommendations) AND with us.

Dealing with licensing boards (as well as hospital boards and boards of professional organizations) once you are under fire is crazy, crazy, crazy business. It involves “law” which bears no resemblance to anything one thinks of when they think of law. It will gaslight* you and perplex your attorney. If you are under fire from a healthcare regulatory or licensing board, you NEED to work with us. Remember, we are not the government nor sales people.

Due to the groundswell of objections to the way healthcare boards operate, an increasing number of attorneys, at long last, are training and offering services in the defense of healthcare licensees under fire from healthcare boards. We at HARBOR, nevertheless are not ready to simply advise people to get attorneys. We DO advise, however, that defense attorneys be consulted, immediately upon notice that some action is, or might, being taken against you. Unless specifically stated to the contrary, HARBR members are NOT attorneys and HARBR is in no way a law firm. There are things attorneys can do for you that we cannot, and it is important for you to know, as a disclaimer, that NOTHING HARBR or any HARBR member tells you should be regarded as legal advice or relied upon for legal decisions. We are, however, smart and experienced professionals who likely know many important things your attorney does not.

HARBR has a great moral compass. We DO believe there are practicing healthcare professionals who need redirection, restriction, retraining, and at times, as necessary, prohibition from practice. The current system however has no basis on which it can claim to accurately separate the “good” from the ‘bad.” This is where long term regulatory board reform comes in. This is also where HARBR comes in as part of an emergency response team. The current system is not just and we are here to change that. We don’t want GOOD healthcare practitioners to be UNJUSTY be put out of their careers.

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