As has been discussed on this blog, our law firm devotes itself to representing members of the medical profession who are facing DUIs or other criminal charges.
The reason doctors and other medical professionals need a vigorous defense is that many different types of criminal convictions, even first offenses, can lead to action against the professional’s license to practice. Losing one’s license to practice in turn means that a medical professional will no longer be able to earn a living doing what he or she spent years of time, and thousands of dollars, training to do.
A physician facing a criminal charge should resist the temptation to believe that it can be resolved quietly and then pass unnoticed by licensing authorities. In fact, in Pennsylvania, doctors have an obligation to self-report any conviction for any drug crime to the Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine. Additionally, they must report arrests for various other criminal offenses, such as an alleged assault or sex crime.
For those who may be tempted to ignore this rule, hospitals and other medical facilities also have an obligation to report should they receive information that a physician who works at or has the right to practice at that hospital has a felony conviction.
On a somewhat related point, the hospital also has to report internal disciplinary measures against doctors if they are based on some sort of misconduct, possibly including a conviction for a misdemeanor offense.
The bottom line is that it is likely better for a Philadelphia doctor or other who is facing criminal trouble to confront the problem directly by putting forward a vigorous criminal defense to the pending charges.
