(1) If the director has reasonable cause to believe that a licensee is unable to practice with reasonable skill and safety, the director may require the licensee to take a mental or physical examination by a health care provider designated by the director. If the licensee refuses to undergo a mental or physical examination, unless due to circumstances beyond the licensee's control, the director may suspend the licensee's license until the results of the examination are known and the director has made a determination of the licensee's fitness to practice. The director shall proceed with an order for examination and determination in a timely manner.
The director shall include in an order issued to a licensee under subsection (1) of thissection the basis of the director's reasonable cause to believe that the licensee is unable to practice with reasonable skill and safety. For the purposes of a disciplinary proceeding authorized by this article 210, the licensee is deemed to have waived all objections to the admissibility of the examining health care provider's testimony or examination reports on the ground that they are privileged communications.
The licensee may submit to the director testimony or examination reports from ahealth care provider chosen by the licensee pertaining to the condition that the director alleges may preclude the licensee from practicing with reasonable skill and safety. The director may consider testimony and reports submitted by the licensee in conjunction with, but not in lieu of, testimony and examination reports of the health care provider designated by the director.
A person shall not use the results of any mental or physical examination ordered bythe director as evidence in any proceeding other than one before the director. The examination results are not public records and are not available to the public.
Source: L. 2019: Entire title R&RE with relocations, (HB 19-1172), ch. 136, p. 1058, § 1, effective October 1.
Editor's note: This section is similar to former § 12-29.9-114 as it existed prior to 2019.