Probation monitor outlines enforcement steps, cites PACE assessment in severe case

Ralph Correa, the board’s probation monitor, told members the board currently oversees 31 probationers, five of whom are out of state and therefore not receiving credit toward California probation terms.

Correa described routine monitoring activities including in‑person visits to practice sites, verification that doctors subject to cease‑practice orders are not acting, and coordination with the executive director and the Attorney General’s Office when discipline requires escalation. He said four probationers are participating in the board’s diversion program after board referral and three others are self‑referred into diversion.

Correa described one case where, after a public letter of reprimand with a clinical competence assessment requirement, the PACE program at UC San Diego found the physician had "extreme departure of standards of practice of medicine," and the board subsequently issued a cease‑practice order and moved to file an accusation and petition to revoke probation. He emphasized that thresholds for formal discipline are legal standards the board and the AG must meet and that those thresholds — subpoenas, motions and due‑process steps — drive timeline delays.

Correa said he and staff are working with the deputy attorney general on revised disciplinary guidelines and penalty language intended to make expectations clearer for probationers and increase the likelihood cases meet thresholds for AG action. He told the board the guideline package would be circulated to members in the coming weeks for review.

Public commenters thanked Correa for his work and urged continued improvements in how the board communicates with grieving families and complainants.