(The Center Square) – A special audit of the State Board of Chiropractic Examiners is raising alarm from the Republican lawmaker who requested it.
Sen. Janae Shamp, R-Surprise, said that the audit she asked for in February brought concerning results, and she hopes to tackle the issues during the upcoming legislative session. The board is responsible for oversight of the niche medical professional practice.
“The Board has failed to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public, and I have fought hard to bring this misconduct to light,” Shamp said in a statement on Monday.
“These boards exist to provide practitioner accountability for the safety of their patients, so to have evidence which proves they were intentionally withholding reports of potential criminal wrongdoing to law enforcement is deeply disturbing and infuriating. I will be sponsoring legislation this session to prevent this abuse of authority from happening in the future, and I will continue to expose any other board or agency operating in a corrupt manner to the detriment of the safety and wellbeing of Arizonans.”
According to the report done by Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting under the Arizona Auditor General, the board did not “consistently” apply regulations and laws to licensees and “did not report allegations of criminal wrongdoing to appropriate authorities,” among other issues.
“The Board regularly expanded complaint investigations by subpoenaing information unrelated to complaint allegations, potentially resulting in unwarranted disciplinary actions and lengthy complaint investigations; did not always apply its statutes and rules consistently among licensees; did not report allegations of criminal wrongdoing to appropriate authorities, increasing public safety risk,” the report stated.
In addition, the board “made progress toward reducing its complaint backlog but did not resolve most complaints within 180 days; engaged in advocacy regarding pending legislation without clear statutory authority to do so; did not comply with some State open meeting law and conflict of interest requirements; and had not established sufficient processes to ensure consistent Board practices and communication over time.”
The board agreed to all of the findings from the audit, as is agreeing to take up recommendations made, which range from improving the way “complaint investigations” are conducted to stay on-topic to making sure that criminal allegations are reported in a timely manner. The board disagreed with the 48-hour reporting deadline recommended by the audit, arguing that it is not legally required, but said they “will continue to consult with the Attorney General in relevant cases and will update its policy to ensure timely, appropriate, and well-informed decisions on criminal referrals.”
“The Board has already begun addressing the findings and implementing the recommendations. We look forward to presenting the positive changes made when meeting with the Joint Legislative Audit Committee of the Arizona Legislature,” the board’s executive director, Alissa M. Vander Veen, wrote in a letter to Auditor General Lindsey Perry on Dec. 17.
