Virginia Law

Article 2. Board of Medicine.

The Board of Medicine shall consist of one medical physician from each congressional district, one osteopathic physician, one podiatrist, one chiropractor, and four citizen members. No two citizen members shall reside in the same congressional district. Citizen members shall have all voting and participation rights of other members. The term of office of the members of the Board shall be four years. If any medical physician member of the Board ceases to reside in the district from which he was appointed, except by reason of redistricting, his office shall be deemed vacant.

The officers of the Board shall be a president, vice-president and a secretary, who shall also act as treasurer, who shall be members of and selected by the Board.

Regular meetings of the Board shall be held at such times and places as prescribed by the Board. Special meetings may be held upon the call of the president and any 11 members. Twelve members of the Board shall constitute a quorum.

The Board may establish an executive committee composed of the president, vice-president, the secretary and five other members of the Board appointed by the president. The executive committee shall include at least two citizen members. In the absence of the Board, the executive committee shall have full powers to take any action and conduct any business authorized by this chapter. Five members of the executive committee shall constitute a quorum. Any actions or business conducted by the executive committee shall be acted upon by the full Board as soon as practicable.

There shall be an executive director for the Board of Medicine who shall be licensed or eligible for licensure in the Commonwealth as a physician or as an attorney.

Code 1950, §§ 54-282, 54-283, 54-287, 54-289, 54-290; 1950, p. 111; 1966, cc. 166, 657; 1970, c. 69; 1973, c. 401; 1973, c. 529, § 54-290.1; 1975, c. 508; 1986, c. 434, § 54-290.2; 1986, c. 464; 1988, cc. 42, 765; 2001, cc. 186, 198; 2003, cc. 753, 762; 2024, c. 463.

Nominations may be made for the medical physicians from a list of three names submitted to the Governor by the Medical Society of Virginia and the osteopathic physician, podiatrist and chiropractor members, respectively, from a list of at least three names submitted by June 1 of each year by their respective state societies. In no case shall the Governor be bound to make any appointment from among the nominees of the respective societies. The Governor may notify the society, which may make nominations, of any professional vacancy other than by expiration among the members of the Board representing the particular profession and like nominations may be made for the filling of the vacancy.

Code 1950, § 54-284; 1950, p. 111; 1966, c. 657; 1970, c. 69; 1975, c. 508; 1986, c. 434; 1988, c. 765; 2005, c. 163.

A. The Board shall prescribe by regulation such requirements as may be necessary to ensure continued practitioner competence, which may include continuing education, testing, or any other requirement.

B. In promulgating such regulations, the Board shall consider (i) the need to promote ethical practice, (ii) an appropriate standard of care, (iii) patient safety, (iv) application of new medical technology, (v) appropriate communication with patients, and (vi) knowledge of the changing health care system.

C. The Board may approve persons who provide or accredit such programs in order to accomplish the purposes of this section.

D. Pursuant to § 54.1-2400 and its authority to establish the qualifications for registration, certification, or licensure that are necessary to ensure competence and integrity to engage in the regulated practice, the Board shall promulgate regulations governing the practice of medicine related to the administration of anesthesia in physicians' offices.

1997, c. 227; 2002, c. 324; 2016, c. 447.

In the furtherance of its responsibility to ensure continued practitioner competency, the Board of Medicine may endorse the Medical Society of Virginia's Guidelines for the Use of Opioids in the Management of Chronic, Non-Cancer Pain, developed and adopted in 1997.

For the purpose of this section, "endorse" means to publicize and distribute such guidelines as providing an appropriate standard of care; however, the Board's endorsement shall not be construed to mean that the guidelines must be followed or are regulations or are in any way intended to be enforceable law.

1998, c. 496.

The Board shall require an assessment of the competency of any person holding an active license under this chapter on whose behalf three separate medical malpractice judgments or medical malpractice settlements of more than $75,000 each are paid within the most recent 10-year period. The assessment shall be accomplished in 18 months or less by a program acceptable to the Board. The licensee shall bear all costs of the assessment. The results of the assessment shall be reviewed by the Board and the Board shall determine a plan of corrective action or appropriate resolution pursuant to the assessment. The assessment, related documents and the processes shall be governed by the confidentiality provisions of § 54.1-2400.2 and shall not be admissible into evidence in any medical malpractice action involving the licensee. The Board shall annually post the number of competency assessments undertaken on its website.

2005, cc. 649, 692; 2007, c. 861; 2011, c. 808.

The Board of Medicine shall post information about autism spectrum disorder developed by the Board together with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and other stakeholders, including information about diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder in adults and children, the role of health care providers in identifying and diagnosing autism spectrum disorder in adults and children, services available to adults and children with autism spectrum disorder in the Commonwealth, processes and procedures for linking adults and children with autism spectrum disorder with state and local services for individuals with autism, and other sources of information on topics related to the identification, diagnosis, and treatment of autism spectrum disorder in adults and children on a website maintained by the Board, and shall notify licensees regarding the availability of such information.

2015, c. 363.

The Board shall annually issue a communication to every practitioner licensed by the Board who provides primary, maternity, obstetrical, or gynecological health care services reiterating the standard of care pertaining to prenatal or postnatal depression or other depression. Such communication shall encourage practitioners to screen every patient who is pregnant or who has been pregnant within the previous five years for prenatal or postnatal depression or other depression, as clinically appropriate and shall provide information to practitioners regarding the factors that may increase susceptibility of certain patients to prenatal or postnatal depression or other depression, including racial and economic disparities, and encourage providers to remain cognizant of the increased risk of depression for such patients.

2020, c. 709.

Repealed by Acts 2013, c. 144, cl. 2.

The Board shall promulgate regulations governing examinations for each branch of the healing arts. In lieu of any or all parts of the examinations prescribed by the Board for a license to practice medicine, osteopathy, podiatry or chiropractic, the Board may:

1. Accept a certificate issued by either the National Board for the appropriate branch of the healing arts or a state board prior to 1970 attesting the satisfactory completion of an examination given by that board if, in the opinion of the Board, the substituted examination material is substantially equivalent to the material for which it is substituted, and the passing grades are in each instance the equivalent of the grades required to be made on the corresponding examinations administered by the Board.

2. Accept a certificate issued by a state board during or after 1970 attesting to the applicant's satisfactory completion of all requirements to practice medicine, osteopathy, podiatry or chiropractic in that state, if the applicant has a current and unrestricted license to practice in another state and a current specialty certificate acceptable to the Board.

1989, c. 45; 2013, c. 144.

A. A practitioner of the healing arts shall not engage in selling controlled substances unless he is licensed to do so by the Board of Pharmacy. However, this prohibition shall not apply to a doctor of medicine, osteopathy or podiatry who administers controlled substances to his patients or provides controlled substances to his patient in a bona fide medical emergency or when pharmaceutical services are not available. Practitioners who sell or dispense controlled substances shall be subject to inspection by the Department of Health Professions to ensure compliance with Chapters 33 (§ 54.1-3300 et seq.) and 34 (§ 54.1-3400 et seq.) of this title and the Board of Pharmacy's regulations. This subsection shall not apply to physicians acting on behalf of the Virginia Department of Health or local health departments.

B. A practitioner of the healing arts who may lawfully sell medical appliances or devices shall not sell such appliances or devices to persons who are not his own patients and shall not sell such articles to his own patients either for his own convenience or for the purpose of supplementing his income. This subsection shall not apply to physicians acting on behalf of the Virginia Department of Health or local health departments.

C. A practitioner of the healing arts may, from within the practitioner's office, engage in selling or promoting the sale of eyeglasses and may dispense contact lenses. Only those practitioners of the healing arts who engage in the examination of eyes and prescribing of eyeglasses may engage in the sale or promotion of eyeglasses. Practitioners shall not employ any unlicensed person to fill prescriptions for eyeglasses within the practitioner's office except as provided in subdivision A 6 of § 54.1-2901. A practitioner may also own, in whole or in part, an optical dispensary located adjacent to or at a distance from his office.

D. Any practitioner of the healing arts engaging in the examination of eyes and prescribing of eyeglasses shall give the patient a copy of any prescription for eyeglasses and inform the patient of his right to have the prescription filled at the establishment of his choice. No practitioner who owns, in whole or in part, an establishment dispensing eyeglasses shall make any statement or take any action, directly or indirectly, that infringes on the patient's right to have a prescription filled at an establishment other than the one in which the practitioner has an ownership interest.

Disclosure of ownership interest by a practitioner as required by § 54.1-2964 or participation by the practitioner in contractual arrangements with third-party payors or purchasers of vision care services shall not constitute a violation of this subsection.

Code 1950, § 54-317; 1954, c. 627; 1958, c. 161; 1966, cc. 166, 657; 1968, c. 582; 1970, c. 69; 1973, c. 529; 1975, c. 508; 1978, c. 622; 1979, c. 727; 1980, c. 157; 1985, c. 96; 1986, c. 86; 1988, cc. 765, 904; 1989, c. 510; 1994, c. 70; 1998, c. 580; 2001, cc. 268, 858; 2005, c. 163; 2016, c. 495.

A. The Board may refuse to issue a certificate or license to any applicant; reprimand any person; place any person on probation for such time as it may designate; impose a monetary penalty or terms as it may designate on any person; suspend any license for a stated period of time or indefinitely; or revoke any license for any of the following acts of unprofessional conduct:

1. False statements or representations or fraud or deceit in obtaining admission to the practice, or fraud or deceit in the practice of any branch of the healing arts;

2. Substance abuse rendering him unfit for the performance of his professional obligations and duties;

3. Intentional or negligent conduct in the practice of any branch of the healing arts that causes or is likely to cause injury to a patient or patients;

4. Mental or physical incapacity or incompetence to practice his profession with safety to his patients and the public;

5. Restriction of a license to practice a branch of the healing arts in another state, the District of Columbia, a United States possession or territory, or a foreign jurisdiction, or for an entity of the federal government;

6. Undertaking in any manner or by any means whatsoever to procure or perform or aid or abet in procuring or performing a criminal abortion;

7. Engaging in the practice of any of the healing arts under a false or assumed name, or impersonating another practitioner of a like, similar, or different name;

8. Prescribing or dispensing any controlled substance with intent or knowledge that it will be used otherwise than medicinally, or for accepted therapeutic purposes, or with intent to evade any law with respect to the sale, use, or disposition of such drug;

9. Violating provisions of this chapter on division of fees or practicing any branch of the healing arts in violation of the provisions of this chapter;

10. Knowingly and willfully committing an act that is a felony under the laws of the Commonwealth or the United States, or any act that is a misdemeanor under such laws and involves moral turpitude;

11. Aiding or abetting, having professional connection with, or lending his name to any person known to him to be practicing illegally any of the healing arts;

12. Conducting his practice in a manner contrary to the standards of ethics of his branch of the healing arts;

13. Conducting his practice in such a manner as to be a danger to the health and welfare of his patients or to the public;

14. Inability to practice with reasonable skill or safety because of illness or substance abuse;

15. Publishing in any manner an advertisement relating to his professional practice that contains a claim of superiority or violates Board regulations governing advertising;

16. Performing any act likely to deceive, defraud, or harm the public;

17. Violating any provision of statute or regulation, state or federal, relating to the manufacture, distribution, dispensing, or administration of drugs;

18. Violating or cooperating with others in violating any of the provisions of Chapters 1 (§ 54.1-100 et seq.), 24 (§ 54.1-2400 et seq.) and this chapter or regulations of the Board;

19. Engaging in sexual contact with a patient concurrent with and by virtue of the practitioner and patient relationship or otherwise engaging at any time during the course of the practitioner and patient relationship in conduct of a sexual nature that a reasonable patient would consider lewd and offensive;

20. Conviction in any state, territory, or country of any felony or of any crime involving moral turpitude;

21. Adjudication of legal incompetence or incapacity in any state if such adjudication is in effect and the person has not been declared restored to competence or capacity;

22. Performing the services of a medical examiner as defined in 49 C.F.R. § 390.5 if, at the time such services are performed, the person performing such services is not listed on the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners as provided in 49 C.F.R. § 390.109 or fails to meet the requirements for continuing to be listed on the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners as provided in 49 C.F.R. § 390.111;

23. Failing or refusing to complete and file electronically using the Electronic Death Registration System any medical certification in accordance with the requirements of subsection C of § 32.1-263. However, failure to complete and file a medical certification electronically using the Electronic Death Registration System in accordance with the requirements of subsection C of § 32.1-263 shall not constitute unprofessional conduct if such failure was the result of a temporary technological or electrical failure or other temporary extenuating circumstance that prevented the electronic completion and filing of the medical certification using the Electronic Death Registration System; or

24. Engaging in a pattern of violations of § 38.2-3445.01.

B. The commission or conviction of an offense in another state, territory, or country, which if committed in Virginia would be a felony, shall be treated as a felony conviction or commission under this section regardless of its designation in the other state, territory, or country.

C. The Board shall refuse to issue a certificate or license to any applicant if the candidate or applicant has had his certificate or license to practice a branch of the healing arts revoked or suspended, and has not had his certificate or license to so practice reinstated, in another state, the District of Columbia, a United States possession or territory, or a foreign jurisdiction.

Code 1950, §§ 54-316, 54-317; 1954, c. 627; 1958, cc. 161, 461; 1966, cc. 166, 657; 1968, c. 582; 1970, c. 69; 1973, c. 529; 1975, c. 508; 1978, c. 622; 1979, c. 727; 1980, c. 157; 1985, c. 96; 1986, cc. 86, 434; 1988, c. 765; 1993, c. 991; 1997, c. 801; 2003, cc. 753, 762; 2004, c. 64; 2005, c. 163; 2013, c. 144; 2017, c. 171; 2019, cc. 213, 224; 2020, cc. 1080, 1081.

Repealed by Acts 2005, c. 163, cl. 2.

Repealed by Acts 2013, c. 144, cl. 2.

Whenever the Board of Health has suspended or revoked any license granted under the provisions of Article 1 (§ 32.1-123 et seq.) of Chapter 5 of Title 32.1 and such suspension or revocation resulted from a violation of any provision of this chapter, or because of illegal practice, or conduct or practices detrimental to the welfare of any patient or resident in such hospital, a report of such action shall be made by the Board of Health to the Board of Medicine.

If it appears from the report, or from other evidence produced before the Board of Medicine, that the legally responsible head of such hospital is a practitioner of any branch of the healing arts, the Board may suspend or revoke the certificate or license of such person, or prosecute such person if unlicensed. The Board may suspend or revoke the certificate or license of or prosecute for unlicensed practice any person subject to this chapter who is practicing in or employed by such hospital if such practitioner or employee is guilty of, responsible for, or implicated in illegal practices for which the hospital license has been suspended or revoked.

Code 1950, § 54-321.1; 1975, c. 508; 1979, c. 720; 1988, c. 765.

Repealed by Acts 2004, c. 64.

Except as provided in § 54.1-2408.1, the Board shall take no action to revoke or suspend the license of any of its licensees except after reasonable notice and an opportunity to be heard in accordance with the Administrative Process Act (§ 2.2-4000 et seq.). Such action may be in addition to any penalty imposed by law for the violation. For the purposes of this section, reasonable notice means written notice mailed at least thirty days prior to the scheduled hearing.

Any practitioner whose license is suspended or revoked by the Board shall not engage in the practice of any of the healing arts in the Commonwealth pending his appeal.

Whenever any license suspension or revocation becomes final, the practitioner shall forthwith give notice of that action, by certified mail, to all patients to whom he is currently providing services. Such practitioner shall cooperate with other practitioners to ensure continuation of treatment in conformity with the wishes of the patient. Such practitioner shall also notify any hospitals or other facilities where he is currently granted privileges, and any health insurance companies, health insurance administrators or health maintenance organizations currently reimbursing him for any of the healing arts.

1973, c. 529, § 54-318.3; 1984, c. 81; 1985, c. 403; 1986, c. 434; 1988, c. 765; 1996, c. 530; 1997, c. 556.

Repealed by Acts 2003, cc. 753 and 762.

Repealed by Acts 2004, cc. 40 and 68.

Repealed by Acts 2020, cc. 198 and 1093, cl. 2, effective March 8, 2020.

Repealed by Acts 2013, c. 144, cl. 2.

Expired.

In any disciplinary proceeding conducted pursuant to this chapter, the executive director may contract with an expert or a panel of experts in the various specialties to provide assistance in investigating and evaluating practitioners who may be subject to punitive action. The executive director may select experts for this purpose from lists of specialists to be provided and regularly updated by the appropriate professional societies. Any contract between the executive director and any consulting expert shall provide that the consulting expert shall: (i) be available to work with an investigator from the beginning of the investigation; (ii) receive appropriate compensation for his services; (iii) review and evaluate a completed investigation report in accordance with guidelines established by the Board and the Office of the Attorney General and return it to the Board for action within a specified period of time; and (iv) be available to testify for the Board in any administrative or court proceeding arising from the investigations in which he has participated.

Any expert assisting in any investigation voluntarily or under the contract arrangements described in this section shall be immune from any civil liability or criminal prosecution resulting therefrom unless he acted in bad faith or with malicious intent.

1986, c. 434, § 54-318.4; 1988, c. 765; 1996, c. 519.

The Board of Medicine shall have, with respect to practitioners of medicine, homeopathy, osteopathy, or podiatry, the same powers conferred upon the Board of Pharmacy with respect to pharmacists, to revoke or suspend the license to dispense drugs issued under § 54.1-3304 or § 54.1-3304.1 or to prescribe the medicines to be possessed or dispensed by such practitioner. The Board of Medicine shall promptly report any such action taken to the Board of Pharmacy, and the revoked license shall not be reissued nor shall the person be licensed anew, except upon recommendation of the Board of Medicine.

1972, c. 798, § 54-318.2; 1978, c. 465; 1988, c. 765; 1996, cc. 468, 496.

A. The Board, in its discretion, may issue certificates or licenses to applicants upon endorsement by boards or other appropriate authorities of other states or territories or the District of Columbia with which reciprocal relations have not been established if the credentials of such applicants are satisfactory and the examinations and passing grades required by such other boards are fully equal to those required by the Virginia Board.

The Board may issue certificates or licenses to applicants holding certificates from the national boards of their respective branches of the healing arts if their credentials, schools of graduation and national board examinations and results are acceptable to the Board. The Board shall promulgate regulations in order to carry out the provisions of this section.

The Board of Medicine shall prioritize applicants for licensure as a doctor of medicine or osteopathic medicine, a physician assistant, or an advanced practice registered nurse from such states that are contiguous with the Commonwealth in processing their applications for licensure by endorsement through a streamlined process, with a final determination regarding qualification to be made within 20 days of the receipt of a completed application.

B. The Board may issue authorization to practice valid for a period not to exceed three months to a practitioner of the healing arts licensed or certified and in good standing with the applicable regulatory agency in the state, District of Columbia, or Canada where the practitioner resides when the practitioner is in Virginia temporarily to practice the healing arts (i) in a summer camp or in conjunction with patients who are participating in recreational activities, (ii) in continuing education programs, or (iii) by rendering at any site any health care services within the limits of his license or certificate, voluntarily and without compensation, to any patient of any clinic that is organized in whole or in part for the delivery of health care services without charge as provided in § 54.1-106. A fee not to exceed $25 may be charged by the Board for the issuance of authorization to practice pursuant to the provisions of this subsection.

Code 1950, §§ 54-276.5, 54-310; 1954, c. 626; 1958, c. 161; 1960, cc. 333, 334; 1970, c. 69; 1972, c. 15; 1973, c. 529; 1975, c. 508; 1981, c. 300; 1985, c. 303; 1988, c. 765; 1992, c. 414; 1993, c. 784; 2016, c. 494; 2020, cc. 236, 368; 2023, c. 183.

Repealed by Acts 2013, c. 144, cl. 2.

A. The Board may issue a restricted volunteer license to a practitioner of the healing arts who:

1. Held an unrestricted license issued by the Virginia Board of Medicine or by a board in another state as a licensee in good standing at the time the license expired or became inactive;

2. Is practicing within the limits of his license in accordance with provisions of § 54.1-106; and

3. Attests to knowledge of the laws and regulations governing his branch of the healing arts in Virginia.

B. A person holding a restricted volunteer license under this section shall not be required to complete continuing education for the first renewal of such a license. Subsequent renewals will require continuing education as specified by Board regulation.

C. If a practitioner with a restricted volunteer license issued under this section has not held an active, unrestricted license and been engaged in active practice within the past four years, he shall only practice his profession if a doctor of medicine or osteopathic medicine with an active, unrestricted Virginia license reviews the quality of care rendered by the practitioner with the restricted volunteer license at least every 90 days.

D. Such license may be renewed every two years in accordance with regulations promulgated by the Board.

E. A practitioner holding a restricted volunteer license issued pursuant to this section is subject to the provisions of this chapter, the regulations promulgated under this chapter, and the disciplinary regulations which apply to all such practitioners in Virginia.

F. The application fee and the biennial renewal fee for restricted volunteer license under this section shall be no more than one-half the renewal fee for an inactive license in the same branch of the healing arts.

2006, c. 881.

The Board shall adopt regulations for the prescribing of opioids and products containing buprenorphine. Such regulations shall include guidelines for:

1. The treatment of acute pain, which shall include (i) requirements for an appropriate patient history and evaluation, (ii) limitations on dosages or day supply of drugs prescribed, (iii) requirements for appropriate documentation in the patient's health record, and (iv) a requirement that the prescriber request and review information contained in the Prescription Monitoring Program in accordance with § 54.1-2522.1;

2. The treatment of chronic pain, which shall include, in addition to the requirements for treatment of acute pain set forth in subdivision 1, requirements for (i) development of a treatment plan for the patient, (ii) an agreement for treatment signed by the provider and the patient that includes permission to obtain urine drug screens, and (iii) periodic review of the treatment provided at specific intervals to determine the continued appropriateness of such treatment; and

3. The use of buprenorphine in the treatment of addiction, including a requirement for referral to or consultation with a provider of substance abuse counseling in conjunction with treatment of opioid dependency with products containing buprenorphine.

2017, cc. 291, 682.

Of the hours of continuing education required for biennial renewal of licensure, any licensee of the Board of Medicine may be required by the Board to complete up to two hours of Type 1 continuing learning activities or courses in a specific subject area. If the Board designates a subject area for continuing learning activities or courses, it shall publish such requirement no later than January 1 of the first year of the term of the license for which the specific learning activity or course is required.

2023, cc. 418, 419.