MAKING A COMPLAINT AGAINST A PHYSICIAN OR A PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT

A citizen may file a complaint against a physician or a physician assistant by submitting a written statement to the North Dakota Board of Medical Examiners. If you wish to file a complaint you may print the complaint form, which follows this text, and use it for that purpose. If you have any questions about completing the form you may call us for assistance at 701-328-6500. It is most important that you state your concerns as clearly as possible and that you are very specific in describing your allegations. To file the complaint you should mail the completed form to:

North Dakota State Board of Medical Examiners
City Center Plaza
418 E. Broadway Ave., Suite 12
Bismarck, ND 58501

Upon receipt of your complaint, we will generally send a copy to the physician for his/her response. Your complaint and the doctor's response may prompt additional investigation by the Board.

All complaints or other reports which could give rise to a disciplinary action against a physician are investigated by one of the Board's two investigative panels. Each panel is comprised of four physician members of the Board and one public member. The panels normally meet during March, July and November of each year.

The investigative panels function as the investigative arm of the Board of Medical Examiners. It is the duty of these panels to determine which cases will progress to formal disciplinary proceedings. In other words, after conducting such investigation as is deemed appropriate, the investigative panels will determine 1) that no formal disciplinary proceedings are warranted, or; 2) that formal disciplinary proceedings should be prosecuted against this physician before the Board of Medical Examiners.

You will be notified of the panel's decision as soon as possible, however, because the investigations and deliberations of the investigative panels are confidential by state law, it is often not possible for us to provide information from our files in those cases where no formal disciplinary proceedings are instituted. Our inability to provide such information is sometimes frustrating for all of us, however, it is important to remember that this law serves to protect both patients and physicians from unwarranted intrusion.

If, at the conclusion of its inquiry, the investigative panel concludes that both the current law and the available evidence will support a formal disciplinary action against the physician (or physician assistant), then the case will be set for hearing before an administrative law judge.

It is the function of the Board of Medical Examiners to determine when disciplinary measures should be taken against a physician's license. We have no authority to regulate the operation of medical facilities such as hospitals or clinics. We do not resolve insurance claims or billing disputes, and we do not collect money damages for individual complainants.

To view the grounds for filing a disciplinary action against a physician click here:

To view the grounds for filing a disciplinary action against a physician assistant click here:

Download the Physician/Physician Assistant Complaint Form

NOTE: To view and use this form, Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0 must be installed on your computer.
 If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0, download and install it free of charge.