In Kentucky, the regulation of physicians are found in KRS §§ 311.530 through 311.620.  Pursuant to the statutes, except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, no person shall engage or attempt to engage in the practice of medicine or osteopathy within this state, or open, maintain, or occupy an office or place of business within this state for engaging in practice, or in any manner announce or express a readiness to engage in practice within this state, unless the person holds a valid and effective license or permit issued by the board as hereinafter provided.

The provisions of subsection (1) of this section shall not apply to:

(a) Commissioned medical officers of the Armed Forces of the United States, or medical officers of the United States Public Health Service, the United States Veterans Administration, and other agencies of the government of the United States of America, while said persons are engaged in the performance, within this state, of their official duties under federal laws;

(b) 1. Persons who, being nonresidents of Kentucky and lawfully licensed to practice medicine or osteopathy in their states of actual residence, infrequently engage in the practice of medicine or osteopathy within this state, when called to see or attend particular patients in consultation and association with a physician licensed pursuant to this chapter; or

2. Persons who, being current participants in a medical residency program outside of Kentucky and lawfully licensed to practice medicine or osteopathy in the states of their medical residency programs, who participate in a temporary residency rotation of no more than sixty (60) days at a hospital in this Commonwealth.  All persons who participate in a temporary residency rotation under this paragraph shall register with the board at no cost, on forms provided by the board, and shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the board for so long as they participate in the residency rotation.  Persons who wish to participate in a second or subsequent temporary residency rotation under this paragraph shall seek advance approval of the board;

(c) Graduates of medical or osteopathic schools approved by the board, while engaged in performing supervised internship or first-year postgraduate training approved by the board at hospitals in this state.  All first-year postgraduate trainees shall register with the board at no cost, on forms provided by the board. No first-year postgraduate trainee shall violate the provisions of KRS 311.595 or KRS 311.597, and any first-year postgraduate trainee who is released or discharged from a training program for a reason that falls within KRS 311.595 or 311.597 shall be reported by the program director to the board.  A residency physician who participates in a temporary residency rotation under paragraph (b) of this subsection shall not be required to obtain a license under KRS 311.530 to 311.620;

(d) Physicians employed by a sports entity visiting Kentucky for a specific sporting event when the physician holds an active medical or osteopathic license in another state and limits the practice of medicine in Kentucky to medical treatment of the members, coaches, and staff of the sports entity that employs the physician; or

(e) Persons who are nonresidents of Kentucky and licensed to practice medicine or osteopathy in their states of residence and are providing medical services as a charitable health-care provider in Kentucky through a nonprofit, all-volunteer sponsoring organization as provided for under KRS 216.940 to 216.945, after confirming to the board that their licenses are currently in good standing in their states of residence and having been issued a written waiver by the board to provide these services during the specific period stated in the written waiver[i].

Furthermore, no applicant who is a graduate of a medical or osteopathic school located within the United States and its territories and protectorates or Canada shall be eligible for a regular license to practice medicine in the Commonwealth unless the applicant:

(a) Is able to understandably speak, read, and write the English language;

(b) Has graduated from an accredited college or university or has satisfactorily completed a collegiate course of study necessary for entry into an approved medical or osteopathic school or college;

(c) Has graduated from a prescribed course of instruction in a medical or osteopathic school or college situated in the United States or Canada and approved by the board;

(d) Has satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of postgraduate training of a duration to be established by the board in an administrative regulation promulgated in accordance with KRS Chapter 13A, after consultation with the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, the University of Louisville School of Medicine, and the Pikeville College School of Osteopathic Medicine;

(e) Has successfully completed an examination prescribed by the board;

(f) Has complied with the requirements of KRS 214.615(1); and

(g) Has fulfilled all other reasonable qualifications for regular licensure that the board may prescribe by regulation.

No applicant who is a graduate of a medical or osteopathic school located outside the United States or Canada shall be eligible for a regular license to practice medicine in the Commonwealth unless the applicant:

(a) Is able to understandably speak, read, and write the English language;

(b) Has successfully completed a course of study necessary for entry into an approved medical or osteopathic school or college;

(c) Has graduated from a prescribed course of instruction in a medical or osteopathic school or college situated outside the United States or Canada and approved by the board or is a citizen of the United States and has been awarded a diploma by an approved medical or osteopathic school located within the United States or Canada as part of a program designed to allow for the transfer of students to such schools from schools located outside the United States or Canada;

(d) Has successfully completed an examination prescribed by the board;

(e) Has been certified by the educational commission for foreign medical graduates or by an approved United States specialty board;

(f) Has satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of postgraduate training of a duration to be established by the board in an administrative regulation promulgated in accordance with KRS Chapter 13A, after consultation with the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, the University of Louisville School of Medicine, and the Pikeville College School of Osteopathic Medicine;

(g) Has complied with the requirements of KRS 214.615(1); and

(h) Has fulfilled all other reasonable qualifications for regular licensure that the board may prescribe by regulation.

No applicant shall be eligible for a limited license-institutional practice unless the applicant:

(a) Has fulfilled all the requirements for regular licensure as delineated in subsection (1) of this section; or

(b) Has fulfilled the requirements for regular licensure as delineated in paragraphs (a) through (e) and (h) of subsection (2) of this section and in addition has satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of postgraduate training of at least one (1) full year’s duration approved by the board;

(c) Has complied with the requirements of KRS 214.615(1); and

(d) Has fulfilled all other reasonable qualifications for limited licensure that the board may prescribe by regulation.

(4) The board may grant an applicant a limited license-institutional practice for a renewable period of one (1) year if the applicant:

(a) Has fulfilled the requirements for regular licensure as delineated in paragraphs (a), (b), (d), (e), and (h) of subsection (2) of this section;

(b) Has fulfilled the requirements for a limited license-institutional practice as indicated in subsection (3)(d) of this section;

(c) Has satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of postgraduate training of at least one (1) full year’s duration approved by the board; and

(d) Has complied with the requirements of KRS 214.615(1).

The board may grant an applicant a fellowship training license for a renewable period of one (1) year if the applicant:

(a) Has been accepted for a fellowship approved by the administration of any of Kentucky’s medical schools and conducted under the auspices of that medical school; or

(b) Has graduated from a medical school located outside the United States or Canada that has been approved by the board, and:

1. Has been certified by the appropriate licensing authority in his or her home country in the subject specialty of the fellowship; and

2. Is able to demonstrate that he or she is a physician of good character and is in good standing in the country where he normally practices medicine.

The board may grant an applicant a special faculty license for a renewable period of one (1) year if the applicant:

1. Holds or has been offered a full-time faculty appointment at an accredited Kentucky medical or osteopathic school approved by the board and is nominated for a special faculty license by the dean of the school of medicine or school of osteopathy;

2. Possesses a current valid license to practice medicine or osteopathy issued by another state, country, or other jurisdiction;

3. Is able to understandably speak, read, and write the English language;

4. Is board certified in his or her specialty;

5. Is not otherwise eligible for a regular license under this chapter; and

6. Is not subject to denial of a license under any provision of this chapter.

The applicant shall submit the fee established by administrative regulation promulgated by the board for an initial license to practice medicine.  An applicant approved for a license under this subsection shall not engage in the practice of medicine or osteopathy outside an accredited medical school program or osteopathic school program and any affiliated institution or program for which the medical school or osteopathic school has assumed direct responsibility.  The board may grant a regular license to practice medicine or osteopathy to a person who has had a special faculty license for a period of at least five (5) consecutive years.  An applicant seeking regular licensure in the Commonwealth who was originally licensed in another state may obtain licensure in the Commonwealth without further testing and training if the applicant:

(a) Has been endorsed in writing by the applicant’s original licensing state as being licensed in good standing in that state; and

(b) Would have satisfied all the requirements for regular licensure described in the preceding subsections had the applicant sought original licensure in this state.

No applicant shall be granted licensure in the Commonwealth unless the applicant has successfully completed an examination prescribed by the board in accordance with any rules that the board may establish by regulation concerning passing scores, testing opportunities and test score recognition.  Notwithstanding any of the requirements for licensure established by subsections (1) to (8) of this section and after providing the applicant or reregistrant with reasonable notice of its intended action and after providing a reasonable opportunity to be heard, the board may deny licensure to an applicant or the reregistrant of an inactive license without a prior evidentiary hearing upon a finding that the applicant or reregistrant has violated any provision of KRS 311.595 or 311.597 or is otherwise unfit to practice. Orders denying licensure may be appealed pursuant to KRS 311.593.  Notwithstanding any of the foregoing, the board may grant licensure to an applicant in extraordinary circumstances upon a finding by the board that based on the applicant’s exceptional education, training, and practice credentials, the applicant’s practice in the Commonwealth would be beneficial to the public welfare.  Notwithstanding any provision of this section, the board may exercise its discretion to grant a visiting professor license to an applicant after considering the following:

(a) Whether the applicant meets the qualifications for a regular license;

(b) Whether the applicant is licensed to practice medicine in other states or in other countries; and

(c) The recommendation of the program director of an accredited medical school that confirms the applicant’s employment as a visiting professor and that includes, if necessary, written justification for a waiver of the requirements specified in subsections (1) and (2) of this section[ii].

Pursuant to KRS § 311.575, whenever, in the opinion of the executive director, based upon verified information contained in the application, an applicant for a license to practice medicine or osteopathy is eligible therefor under subsections (1) and (2) of KRS 311.571, the executive director may issue to such applicant, on behalf of the board, a temporary permit which shall entitle the holder to practice medicine or osteopathy in this state for a maximum of six (6) months from date of issuance thereof unless the temporary permit is sooner canceled by the executive director, who may cancel it at any time, without a hearing, for reasons deemed sufficient to him with appropriate consultation with the president, and who shall cancel it immediately upon direction by the board or upon the board’s denial of the holder’s application for a regular license.  The permit shall not be renewable.  The executive director shall present to the board the application for a license made by the holder of the temporary permit.  In the event the board issues a regular license to the holder of a temporary permit, the fee paid in connection with any temporary permit then in effect shall be applied upon the prescribed license fee.  When the executive director cancels a temporary permit, s/he shall promptly notify, by certified United States mail, the holder of the temporary permit, at his last known address as reflected by the files of the board, and the temporary permit shall become terminated and of no further force and effect three (3) days after the giving of said notice to the holder.

The statutes further provide that no person shall make any statement or submit any document, paper, or thing to the board, or to its executive director, or to any county clerk, relating in any manner to issuance, registration, suspension, or revocation of any license or permit, knowing same to be false, forged, or fraudulent. No person shall engage in dishonesty, fraud, deceit, collusion, or conspiracy in connection with any examination, hearings, or disciplinary proceedings conducted by the board.  No person shall make or issue any false or counterfeit certificate that purports to have been issued by the board, or by its executive director, or forge the signature of any person thereon, or alter any such certificate that has been issued by the board or by its executive director[iii].

KRS § 311.592 provides that at any time when an inquiry panel has probable cause to believe that a physician has violated the terms of an agreed order or violated the terms of a disciplinary order, or a physician’s practice constitutes a danger to the health, welfare, and safety of his patients or the general public, the inquiry panel may issue an emergency order, in accordance with KRS 13B.125, suspending, limiting, or restricting the physician’s license.  For the purposes of a hearing conducted under KRS 13B.125 on an emergency order issued under subsection (1) of this section, the findings of fact in the emergency order shall constitute a rebuttable presumption of substantial evidence of a violation of law that constitutes immediate danger to the health, welfare, or safety of patients or the general public.  For the purposes of this hearing only, hearsay shall be admissible and may serve as a basis of the board’s findings.  An emergency order as described in subsection (1) of this section shall not be issued unless grounds exist for the issuance of a complaint or a motion to revoke probation or an order of indefinite restriction or limitation.  The inquiry panel shall issue a complaint or a motion to revoke probation or indefinite restriction or limitation prior to the date of the emergency hearing or the emergency order shall become void.  An order of temporary suspension, restriction, or limitation shall not be maintained after a final order is served on the charged physician pursuant to the proceeding on the complaint or on the motion to revoke.  An appeal of an emergency order shall not prejudice the board from proceeding upon the complaint or the motion to revoke.

Furthermore, the president of the board shall divide the membership of the board, excluding himself, into two (2) panels of seven (7) members, each panel to include at least one (1) consumer member. Each panel shall have the power to act as an inquiry or a hearing panel.  The president shall not be a permanent member of either panel, but shall have the power to render the deciding vote whenever a tie vote is rendered by either panel and shall have the power to serve as a member of either panel when necessary to achieve a quorum by majority.  Grievances may be submitted by an individual (including board members), organization, or entity. Each grievance shall be investigated as necessary and the executive director shall assign each grievance to an inquiry panel.  All inquiry panels and the executive director shall have the power to issue investigatory subpoenas for the appearance of any person or production of any record, document, or other item within the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth.  The panel or executive director may seek enforcement of investigatory subpoenas and search warrants in the courts of the Commonwealth as may be necessary.  Upon completion of its inquiry, the inquiry panel shall make a finding that:

(a) There is no evidence of a violation of any medical practice act and no further action is necessary;

(b) There is insufficient evidence of a violation to warrant the issuance of a complaint, but that there is evidence of a practice or activity that requires modification and the panel may issue a letter of concern under KRS 311.550(22).  The letter of concern shall be a public document and may be used in future disciplinary actions against the physician;

(c) The grievance discloses an instance of misconduct which does not warrant the issuance of a complaint; in these instances, the panel may admonish the physician for his misconduct; or

(d) The grievance discloses one (1) or more violations of the provisions of this chapter which warrant the issuance of a complaint; in these instances, the panel shall cause a complaint to be prepared, signed by the presiding officer, which shall contain sufficient information to apprise the named physician of the general nature of the charges.

The inquiry panel shall cause a complaint to be served on the charged physician by personal delivery or by certified mail to the physician’s last address of which the board has record.  The physician shall submit a response within thirty (30) days after service.  Failure to submit a timely response or willful avoidance of service may be taken by the board as an admission of the charges.  Upon the issuance of the complaint, the executive director shall assign the matter for an administrative hearing by a hearing panel.  No member who served on the inquiry panel may also serve as a member of the hearing panel. The hearing panel or the hearing officer on behalf of the panel shall preside over all proceedings pursuant to the issuance of a complaint.  The board may promulgate administrative regulations regarding the informal disposition of any complaint, and an informal disposition may be made at any stage of the proceeding.  Upon completion of an administrative hearing, the hearing panel shall issue a final order that:

(a) Dismisses the complaint upon a conclusion that the provisions of this chapter have not been violated;

(b) Finds a violation of the provisions of this chapter, but does not impose discipline because the panel does not believe discipline to be necessary under the circumstances; or

(c) Imposes discipline upon the licensee; in these instances, the panel may revoke, suspend, restrict, deny, or limit a license, or may reprimand a licensee or place a licensee on probation under terms the panel may establish to protect the licensee, his patients, or the general public.  The hearing panel may impose a fine whenever it finds that a violation of this chapter has occurred.  If the board substantiates that sexual contact occurred between the physician and the patient while the patient was under the care of or in a professional relationship with the physician, the physician’s license may be revoked or suspended with mandatory treatment of the physician as prescribed by the board.  The board may require the physician to pay a specified amount for mental health services for the patient which are needed as a result of the sexual contact.  The hearing panel’s order shall be considered the final order of the board regarding the matter.

Regardless of the restrictions on public disclosure of information established in subsection (9) of this section, the board may order information derived from any investigation or inquiry be released to the physician licensure authority of another state or to any health care or mental health care facility licensed and regulated by the Commonwealth of Kentucky upon a showing that the information is necessary to determine the propriety of a physician practicing in a particular state or facility.  The presiding officer at any proceeding held pursuant to a complaint or show cause order shall take whatever measures are necessary to protect the privacy interests of individuals other than the charged physician upon a showing that evidence is to be introduced, the public disclosure of which would constitute a clear invasion of personal privacy.  It is the general policy of the Commonwealth that administrative proceedings should be open to the public.  Therefore, in applying this subsection, the presiding officer shall balance the competing interests and employ the least restrictive measures available to protect the privacy interests involved[iv].

Pursuant to KRS § 311.595, if the power has not been transferred by statute to some other board, commission, or agency of this state, the board may deny an application or reregistration for a license; place a licensee on probation for a period not to exceed five (5) years; suspend a license for a period not to exceed five (5) years; limit or restrict a license for an indefinite period; or revoke any license heretofore or hereafter issued by the board, upon proof that the licensee has:

(1) Knowingly made or presented, or caused to be made or presented, any false, fraudulent, or forged statement, writing, certificate, diploma, or other thing, in connection with an application for a license or permit;

(2) Practiced, or aided or abetted in the practice of fraud, forgery, deception, collusion, or conspiracy in connection with an examination for a license;

(3) Committed, procured, or aided in the procurement of an unlawful abortion, including a partial-birth abortion;

(4) Entered a guilty or nolo contendere plea, or been convicted, by any court within or without the Commonwealth of Kentucky, of committing an act which is, or would be a felony under the laws of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, or of the United States, or of any crime involving moral turpitude which is a misdemeanor under the laws;

(5) Been convicted of a misdemeanor offense under KRS Chapter 510 involving a patient, or a felony offense under KRS Chapter 510, 530.064(1)(a), or 531.310, or been found by the board to have had sexual contact as defined in KRS 510.010(7) with a patient while the patient was under the care of the physician;

(6) Become addicted to a controlled substance;

(7) Become a chronic or persistent alcoholic;

(8) Been unable or is unable to practice medicine according to acceptable and prevailing standards of care by reason of mental or physical illness or other condition including but not limited to physical deterioration that adversely affects cognitive, motor, or perceptive skills, or by reason of an extended absence from the active practice of medicine;

(9) Engaged in dishonorable, unethical, or unprofessional conduct of a character likely to deceive, defraud, or harm the public or any member thereof;

(10) Knowingly made, or caused to be made, or aided or abetted in the making of, a false statement in any document executed in connection with the practice of his profession;

(11) Employed, as a practitioner of medicine or osteopathy in the practice of his profession in this state, any person not duly licensed or otherwise aided, assisted, or abetted the unlawful practice of medicine or osteopathy or any other healing art;

(12) Violated or attempted to violate, directly or indirectly, or assisted in or abetted the violation of, or conspired to violate any provision or term of any medical practice act, including but not limited to the code of conduct promulgated by the board under KRS 311.601 or any other valid regulation of the board;

(13) Violated any agreed order, letter of agreement, final order, or emergency order issued by the board;

(14) Engaged in or attempted to engage in the practice of medicine or osteopathy under a false or assumed name, or impersonated another practitioner of a like, similar, or different name;

(15) Obtained a fee or other thing of value on the fraudulent representation that a manifestly incurable condition could be cured;

(16) Willfully violated a confidential communication;

(17) Had his license to practice medicine or osteopathy in any other state, territory, or foreign nation revoked, suspended, restricted, or limited or has been subjected to other disciplinary action by the licensing authority thereof.  This subsection shall not require relitigation of the disciplinary action;

(18) Failed or refused, without legal justification, to practice medicine in a rural area of this state in violation of a valid medical scholarship loan contract with the trustees of the rural Kentucky medical scholarship fund;

(19) Given or received, directly or indirectly, from any person, firm, or corporation, any fee, commission, rebate, or other form of compensation for sending, referring, or otherwise inducing a person to communicate with a person licensed under KRS 311.530 to 311.620 in his professional capacity or for any professional services not actually and personally rendered; provided, however, that nothing contained in this subsection shall prohibit persons holding valid and current licenses under KRS 311.530 to 311.620 from practicing medicine in partnership or association or in a professional service corporation authorized by KRS Chapter 274, as now or hereinafter amended, or from pooling, sharing, dividing, or apportioning the fees and moneys received by them or by the partnership, corporation, or association in accordance with the partnership agreement or the policies of the board of directors of the corporation or association.  Nothing contained in this subsection shall abrogate the right of two (2) or more persons holding valid and current licenses under KRS 311.530 to 311.620 to receive adequate compensation for concurrently rendering professional care to a single patient and divide a fee, if the patient has full knowledge of this division and if the division is made in proportion to the services performed and responsibility assumed by each;

(20) Been removed, suspended, expelled, or disciplined by any professional medical association or society when the action was based upon what the association or society found to be unprofessional conduct, professional incompetence, malpractice, or a violation of any provision of KRS Chapter 311.  This subsection shall not require relitigation of the disciplinary action; or

(21) Been disciplined by a licensed hospital or medical staff of the hospital, including removal, suspension, limitation of hospital privileges, failing to renew privileges for cause, resignation of privileges under pressure or investigation, or other disciplinary action if the action was based upon what the hospital or medical staff found to be unprofessional conduct, professional incompetence, malpractice, or a violation of any provisions of KRS Chapter 311.  This subsection shall not require relitigation of the disciplinary action.

[i] KRS § 311.560.

[ii] KRS § 311.571.

[iii] KRS § 311.590.

[iv]KRS § 311.591.