In the case of certain disciplinary actions, physicians are entitled by California law to a fair hearing by their peers. The California Medical Association's Institute for Medical Quality's (IMQ) Judicial Review program helps hospitals meet that requirement by providing qualified, independent physicians to serve on panels.

Hospitals sometimes struggle to create unbiased judicial review panels and often have difficulty finding physicians without any perceived conflict of interest who are available to serve on consecutive days. IMQ meets that need by providing three or more qualified, independent physician panelists to hear evidence and, based on information presented during the hearings, participate in post-hearing deliberations and the creation of a final report under guidance of the hearing officer. Panelists are of the same or a similar specialty as the physician being reviewed. This service helps hospitals complete panels efficiently and promptly.

The IMQ Judicial Review Program is seeing an increased demand for its services.  To meet this demand, IMQ is recruiting more physicians to serve as judicial review panelists. Potential candidates must hold an unrestricted California medical license and be either in active practice in California or retired from active medical practice for no more than two years.    

For additional information on IMQ’s Judicial Review service or on becoming a physician panelist, please contact Leslie Iacopi, (415) 882-5167 or liacopi@imq.org.