As a physical therapist practicing in Washington, DC, you have already accomplished a lot, even if you have just recently earned your license from the District’s Board of Physical Therapy. After years of challenging undergraduate and graduate education, hundreds if not thousands of hours of clinical practice, and studying for and passing the National Physical Therapy Examination, you have applied for and received your physical therapist license that allows you to practice in the District.
With all of that time, effort, and expense getting you to where you are today, it makes sense to protect your investment by properly defending yourself if you have been accused of misconduct in connection with your physical therapy practice. The LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team is ready to help you do that. Call us at 888.535.3686 or use our contact form to schedule a confidential consultation. Tell us about your case, and let us tell you the many ways we can help protect your rights and defend your PT license.
Washington, DC Physical Therapist Licensing
The District’s Board of Physical Therapy, operating under the DC Department of Health, issues physical therapist licenses to qualified applicants. It also sets and enforces the District’s continuing education requirement for physical therapists, and reviews and manages license renewals.
One thing that can stop you from receiving a license in the first place – or from renewing your PT license – is a criminal conviction. Both applicants for a new license and physical therapists renewing their license must submit their fingerprints to the FBI for a criminal background check. If you have a criminal conviction in your background, or even if you were investigated for a crime, you need to submit documents relating to the incident along with an explanation of what happened. This also goes for situations where you were disciplined by a licensing authority outside of the District.
Not every conviction or past disciplinary incident will result in your license application being refused. The best way to increase the likelihood that the Board of Physical Therapy will grant your license is by making sure you provide a detailed explanation that gives the Board all of the information it needs to grant your license or license renewal. The Professional License Defense Team understands what issues are important to the Board of Physical Therapy, and we can help you draft your explanation with those points in mind.
What the District of Columbia’s Board of Physical Therapy Does When it Comes to Regulating Physical Therapists
The Board of Physical Therapy plays an active role in regulating physical therapists in Washington, DC. It does more than simply review license and renewal applications and issue licenses and approve license renewals. It also reviews complaints received from members of the public about physical therapists, refers matters to the District’s Health Regulation and Licensing Administration for investigation, conducts hearings relating to disputed misconduct claims, and sanctions physical therapists where misconduct is admitted or has been determined to have taken place after a hearing.
Disciplinary actions will appear as part of the physical therapist’s public record, which can be searched for and viewed on the DC Health website. Even in cases where you were placed on probation, or where a suspension period has completed and you are able to practice, anyone can search your name and see the details of the disciplinary action that the Board took against you. This can make it more difficult for you to find employment and clients – even years after the discipline occurred (the database includes discipline information from as far back as 1996).
This is another reason to take active steps to defend yourself if you have been accused of misconduct in Washington, DC. The Professional License Defense Team is here to help you do that. Our experienced attorneys understand what it takes to protect physical therapists in disciplinary investigations and proceedings, and we are ready to stand by your side and defend your license, your reputation, and your future.
The Disciplinary Authority of the District of Columbia Board of Physical Therapy
The Board of Physical Therapy will discipline physical therapists for a number of reasons, including:
- Attempting to obtain a license by way of fraud or deception
- Being disciplined by another jurisdiction’s licensing authority
- Conviction of a crime that is “related to” the practice of physical therapy
- Professional incompetence
- Mental or physical incompetence
- Addiction to any narcotic or controlled substance
- Practicing physical therapy while under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Making a false report in connection with the practice of physical therapy
- Failing to file required records relating to the practice of physical therapy
- Failing to provide a patient with requested health care records within a reasonable period of time
- Making a misrepresentation concerning a patient’s treatment
- Splitting fees in return for a patient referral
- Practicing beyond the scope of their physical therapist license
- Engaging in sexual harassment of a patient, or entering into a sexual relationship with a patient
- Violating any DC or federal law, regulation, or rule related to the practice of physical therapy
- Abandoning a patient without providing for their continued care
- Failing to cooperate with an investigation ordered by the Board
The Board follows specific procedures when a complaint is filed against a physical therapist in Washington, DC. Because complaints are filed with the Health Regulation and Licensing Administration (HRLA), that agency will review the initial complaint to determine whether it describes the type of conduct that is regulated by the Board of Physical Therapy. If it does not, then the complaint may be dismissed.
If the HRLA elects to move forward with a complaint, it is almost certain that it will contact the physical therapist named in the complaint as part of their investigation into the matter. This is a key point in the disciplinary process. If you receive a notice from the Health Regulation and Licensing Administration or from the Board of Physical Therapy that a misconduct complaint has been filed against you and you are being given an opportunity to respond, that is when you should find help.
Contacting the LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team at this point is one of the best ways you can help protect your license. Your response to the complaint can make all the difference in how the Department moves forward with the disciplinary process. Our attorneys can review all of the facts surrounding the complaint and can work with you to prepare an effective and comprehensive response that will protect your rights and help defend your license.
How the District of Columbia Board of Physical Therapy Learns About Alleged Misconduct
The Board learns of alleged misconduct that could result in disciplinary sanctions against physical therapists in two main ways. The first way is when a complaint is filed by a member of the public against a physical therapist with the DC Health Regulation and Licensing Administration. The complaint form is available on the DC Health website, and is the same form to file a complaint against a number of different types of health care professionals.
The Board also learns about conduct that could lead to disciplinary sanctions when physical therapists self-report it, typically during the license renewal process. As noted above, physical therapists are required to report criminal investigations and convictions as well as disciplinary actions taken in other jurisdictions when they renew their licenses. The Board will investigate these reports to determine whether the physical therapist should be sanctioned in some way based on the conduct disclosed to the Board by the PT.
If you receive a notice that the Board or the HRLA is investigating you for potential misconduct, that is the time to contact an experienced attorney for help. The sooner you reach out to the Professional License Defense Team, the more likely it is that your matter will be resolved in a way that protects your ability to work as a physical therapist in the District. Our experienced attorneys have helped other professional license holders protect their rights and defend their licenses in similar situations. Let us be there for you as well.
Investigations of Physical Therapist Misconduct in Washington, DC
When the Board or HRLA elects to investigate a matter, the investigation can take months. One thing that is almost certain to happen is that the investigator assigned to the matter will interview the physical therapist accused of misconduct. In addition, the investigator may interview the person who filed the complaint as well as witnesses who may have information relevant to the matter. The investigator may also seek documents, including emails and other messages.
One of the most stressful parts about being the focus of any disciplinary investigation is the process of sitting through an interview. Most people are not used to answering questions from someone whose job it is to uncover information about them that could lead to the loss of their career. When you are working with one of the experienced attorneys from the Professional License Defense Team, we can help you prepare for this unusual and uncomfortable situation.
We can prepare you for the types of questions you may be asked; help you go through the process of focusing on the question, making sure you understand it, then answering what you were asked; and advise you when it is important to clarify what a question means before answering it. We can also be with you during the interview and, in many cases, can work with the investigator so that the questions you are asked are clear and fair. We will also protect your rights throughout the interview.
Working with the Professional License Defense Team also means that there is someone there between you and the Board or the HRLA during the investigation process. We will field all of the contacts from them so that you don’t have to. We can also make sure you are cooperating with the investigation process – since failing to do so is something that can lead to separate disciplinary sanctions.
Typically, when an investigation is complete, the Board will decide whether to bring sanctions against you or to dismiss the matter. In almost every case where the Board elects to bring sanctions, it will try to resolve the matter through a consent agreement – a settlement where both sides agree on a set of facts and any sanctions that are to be applied. Sanctions can range from relatively minor ones, such as a reprimand, to others that are more serious, such as suspending or revoking your license. In many cases, the Board may place the physical therapist on probation and will require them to take remedial courses or have additional supervision for certain types of care. In situations where drug or alcohol abuse is a problem, the Board may require the physical therapist to successfully complete a treatment program.
The terms of these kinds of agreements can be negotiated. The team is very familiar with the kinds of issues that licensing boards consider important when resolving disciplinary matters. We can negotiate on your behalf to secure the best terms possible given the facts of your case, all with an eye towards helping you keep your license so that you can continue to practice physical therapy.
Cases that do not settle will proceed to a formal hearing. These follow detailed administrative procedures, but in short, the hearings are very much like court proceedings. Both sides can have witnesses testify and can cross-examine the other side’s witnesses. Both sides can introduce evidence and contest the evidence proposed by the other side. The difference is that at the close of the hearing, an administrative law judge will issue a recommended decision to the Board. The Board is free to accept the recommended decision or to reject it in whole or in part.
If your case does go to an administrative hearing, you want an experienced attorney representing you and protecting your rights. The Professional License Defense Team is there for you. Our attorneys regularly appear in these types of hearings on behalf of our professional license clients, and we can help you if your physical therapist license is at risk.
The LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team Can Help Protect Your Physical Therapist License in Washington, DC
Your physical therapist license is probably your most valuable personal credential. It is the key to your profession and your future, and if you learn that you have been accused of misconduct that could lead to the suspension or revocation of your license, you need to take steps to protect yourself. The Professional License Defense Team has years of experience helping physical therapists as well as other types of professionals protect their rights and defend their licenses.
Whether you have just learned about a misconduct allegation or formal misconduct charges have been filed against you, contact us. Our attorneys understand the laws, rules, regulations, and procedures that apply in these types of cases. We are here to help you through this, protecting your rights from day one and defending your license and your future.
Call the LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team today at 888.535.3686 or fill out our contact form, and we will schedule a confidential consultation where you can tell us about your case, and we can explain how we can help.