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Executive director outlines strategic‑plan progress, outreach and licensing projects
Summary
Executive Director Erica Calderon reported that the board has completed many first‑year strategic plan tasks, launched outreach including social posts and campus engagement, and is working on licensing process improvements; staff announced no current vacancies and a two‑year limited‑term enforcement manager position.
Executive Director Erica Calderon told the board Feb. 13 that the Osteopathic Medical Board of California has made strong first‑year progress on its 2024–2028 strategic plan and on several administrative projects.
Calderon summarized administrative achievements: the board has filled all authorized positions (15.9 authorized positions, reported as no current vacancies), executed temporary contracts covering drug‑testing needs while a long‑term diversion vendor changed, and is recruiting a two‑year limited‑term staff services manager to oversee enforcement operations. She said some online services — notably the fictitious‑name permit application — were temporarily reverted to paper because the online form produced a high denial rate and program staff believe applicants were confused by entity‑type choices in the shared application platform.
On outreach, Calderon said the board has increased Spanish‑language posting of resources (wildfire waivers, volunteer physician registry) and will attend professional and public health events including the Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons of California annual convention, the Federation of State Medical Boards meeting, and a Latina maternal health fair in Bakersfield. She also described work with DCA and DOJ on the Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES) fee increase (from $9 to $15 effective April 1) and with the board’s communications staff on licensing videos to reduce application delays.
On licensing, staff reported 16,272 active osteopathic licenses and 1,194 postgraduate training licenses; current median processing times for completed applications were described as about 37 days when full documentation is present, longer when the board is waiting for applicant‑supplied documents. Licensing staff pointed to the attestation form (OMB‑26) as a frequent source of application delays and proposed embedding the attestation into the online application to reduce lag.
Calderon also presented a year‑one progress report for the strategic plan: many administrative objectives are complete, enforcement and licensure goals are in process, and outreach remains a work stream for additional staffing and engagement. The board asked staff to pursue more student engagement at meetings and to return with proposals for improved campus outreach and public‑facing licensing guidance.
