Board reports staffing increases, launches complainant liaison unit and complaint‑tracking work; advocates urge redesign input

Board staff reported improvements to enforcement and technology operations at the Medical Board of California’s quarterly meeting, including a newly stood‑up complainant liaison unit (CLU), progress on a complaint‑tracking tool, and expanded investigator hiring at the Health Quality Investigation Unit (HQIU).

Charlene Smith, the board’s new enforcement chief, said the central complaint unit had received 4,449 complaints so far in the fiscal year and reported an average processing time in her unit of 158 days. Smith said the complainant liaison unit — created in response to the board’s sunset review and subsequent legislation — has six analysts on staff, a manager starting later in the month, and had referred about 116 cases into the CLU for deeper engagement; CLU staff had conducted roughly 19 interviews with complainants during initial operations. Smith said her office continues to recruit expert reviewers and…