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DPH investigator outlines complaint-driven physician-investigation process
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Summary
Chris Andresen, chief of practitioner licensing and investigations at the Department of Public Health, gave an orientation on how complaints are handled, including interim consent orders, consultant reviews and confidentiality rules; he said the department receives roughly 1,800 complaints a year across about 70 professions.
Chris Andresen, chief of practitioner licensing and investigations at the Department of Public Health, briefed the board on how the agency handles complaints against health professionals, saying the process is complaint-driven and designed to protect public safety while ensuring due process.
Andresen told the board the department receives about 1,800 complaints a year and licenses roughly 70 professions. He described an initial jurisdictional screening, steps to assess severity and possible resolutions, and the use of interim consent orders or voluntary surrender when there is an immediate risk. "The respondent agrees, I will refrain from practice during this investigation," Andresen said as an example of what an interim consent order requires. He said voluntary surrender of a license often ends the department's regulatory authority because the license is the agency's principal leverage.
He explained the department relies on external clinical consultants to determine whether a respondent's conduct met the applicable standard of care. Consultants must be in the same specialty, free of conflicts and able to review often voluminous records; recruiting consultants and avoiding conflicts are recurring challenges. "We've got to find somebody that doesn't have a conflict of interest," Andresen said, describing the need to identify independent reviewers.
On confidentiality and public notice, Andresen said the department's investigation unit does not issue a statement of charges; matters become public only when prosecutors file charges or when a summary suspension, interim consent order, voluntary surrender or final disposition is entered and posted in the public licensing system. He confirmed those entries are made in the e-license system so the public can see statements of charges or disciplinary actions once finalized.
Board members pressed for operational clarifications. The chair asked whether anonymous reports are accepted; Andresen said anonymous complaints are generally not actionable because investigators cannot follow up for additional information, although the department may investigate anonymous tips about serious infection-control breaches. Members also asked whether board physician members sometimes assist in screening cases before consultant review; Andresen said that does occur on occasion but that such reviewers would be expected to recuse themselves if the case later came before the board.
The board requested an organizational chart showing which DPH units the investigations team works with; Andresen agreed to provide a chart or similar guidance to help members understand internal workflows. The orientation concluded with board members thanking staff for the overview.
