You may believe that you are innocent of the medical misconduct accusation placed against you. But your word alone may mean close to nothing in the eyes of the Office of Professional Medical Conduct (OPMC) hearing committee. This is why you must seriously fight to protect yourself and your livelihood when you are summoned to a hearing. Read on to discover what next steps you should take if the OPMC finds you guilty and how one of the seasoned OPMC/OPD misconduct defense lawyers at Walker Medical Law can stand by your side throughout.
Under what circumstances may the OPMC believe I am wrong?
You must put your best foot forward when entering your OPMC hearing. This is because even the slightest misstep may lead the OPMC hearing committee to believe that you are guilty of medical misconduct. That is, they may think you are wrong for any one of the following reasons:
- The OPMC hearing committee may reach the conclusion that you have failed to meet their established deadline for submitting a response.
- The OPMC hearing committee may reach the conclusion that you have failed to appear at the scheduled time and place of your hearing.
- The OPMC hearing committee may reach the conclusion that you have failed to maintain a professional stance throughout your hearing.
- The OPMC hearing committee may reach the conclusion that you have failed to gather a sufficient amount of evidence to defend yourself.
- The OPMC hearing committee may reach the conclusion that witnesses have gathered convincing evidence proving your guilt.
- The OPMC hearing committee may reach the conclusion that your professional records provide convincing evidence proving your guilt.
What next steps should I take if the OPMC finds me guilty?
Rest assured, you may still have a chance at fighting off your guilty verdict. You may do so by filing an appeal with the OPMC board. With this, you should similarly expect to attend a hearing and gather a sufficient amount of evidence for your stance. In the end, you may anticipate hearing back from the OPMC board within 45 days of the date on which you filed.
As a side note, it may be helpful to report your OPMC hearing and appeal with your insurance provider. This is because you may be unable to work during this time, along with being hit with legal fees and other related expenses. So, you have to try at least to receive some sort of coverage during this difficult time.
As you may likely conclude yourself, you may have an essential appeal on your hands that requires immediate action. So you should not hesitate in reaching out to one of the competent OPMC/OPD misconduct defense lawyers from Walker Medical Law.
