MedBoard Matters

NCMB’s complaint process is one of the most important aspects of the Board’s work—but it’s also one of the least understood. With more than 3,000 complaints cases opened each year, every concern is reviewed carefully and taken seriously. In this episode, host Jean Fisher Brinkley talks with Carren Mackiewicz, Director of NCMB’s Administrative Investigations Legal Department, about how the complain...

Determining if care was safe and appropriate is the key thing NCMB has to do when patients complain about the quality of medical care. But what is the Board really looking at when it does this? Host Jean Fisher Brinkley is joined by Deputy General Counsel for the Board, Patrick Balestrieri who outlines the processes the Board uses when it must decide on whether the care rendered in a case it is co...

In this episode of MedBoard Matters, host Jean Fisher Brinkley gives us her take on the Board's top five consumer resources and how each one works towards building a more informed public.  Some of the resources mentioned in this episode include: Smart Patient Toolkit Multi-media options Look up a doctor or PA tool Physical Exam Series Complaint process Host: Jean Fisher Brinkley, Communicatio...

This podcast episode is all about the corporate practice of medicine. If you aren’t sure what that is, don’t worry. We are going to tell you. And while the corporate practice of medicine may sound complicated, it’s actually based on a simple idea – that medical practices should place patient welfare above profit.  Click here to view the resources mentioned in the episode. Host: Jean Fisher Brinkle...

The North Carolina Medical Board is committed to providing our licensees with tools that will help them be successful in their practice. In this episode, we talk with Todd Brosius, one of the Board's Deputy General Counsel about the Board's position statements, how they are developed, and how our licensees can use them as guidance for avoiding Board discipline. Learn more here .  Host: J...

Have you ever listened intently at a medical appointment just to leave with only a vague idea of what is going on with your health, let alone what you should do about it? In fact, studies suggest that as many as 9 out of 10 patients have trouble understanding medical information at some point in their lives. On this episode of MedBoard Matters we are discussing health literacy and how a lack of it...

On this episode of the Remembering Hurricane Helene series, we meet PA Joshua Newton, who owns his own primary care practice in Spruce Pine, NC. Post-Helene, it took three days just to cut out to the end of his street. After he saw the devastation in his community, he did what made the most sense to him at the time. With patients unable to get to him, he hopped on a four-wheeler and rode out to fi...

On this episode of the Remembering Hurricane Helene series, we interview Dr. Benjamin Gilmer, Rural Fellowship Director and Director of Rural Health Initiatives for the Mountain Area Health Education Center in Asheville. Dr. Gilmer put his extensive global experience in serving under resourced patient populations to good use and was busy practicing out of a donated bus in a church parking lot in S...

As we approach the one-year mark since Hurricane Helene, we reflect on the experiences shared by healthcare professionals who faced its impact firsthand. In this episode, we interview Dr. Julia Draper, a dedicated family medicine physician in the Asheville area. Dr. Draper vividly recounts her harrowing encounter with the storm while beginning her 7-day work rotation at Mission Hospital. Her first...

The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC) was signed into law in July of 2025 as part of North Carolina (NC) Session Law 2025-37/HB 67. By joining the IMLC, there will now be an additional pathway for licensure in North Carolina as well as a pathway for our licensees to obtain licenses in other compact member states.   In this episode, we talk with Marschall Smith, Executive Director of the...

Reflecting on Hurricane Helene, the deadliest and costliest hurricane in North Carolina's history, recovery efforts are expected to span years. Amid the devastation, stories of resilience shine through. Karen Wallace-Meigs, Executive Director of the Western Carolina Medical Society, recounts their organization's impactful response. Through a robust philanthropic mission and diverse servi...

The North Carolina Medical Board is committed to providing our licensees with tools that will help them be successful in their practice (and hopefully avoid any regulatory issues). In this episode, we outline a centralized resource we've created to help them learn about and stay informed on a variety of Board policies and practice specific topics.  Learn more here: www.ncmedboard.org/quicksta...

With the holiday season firmly upon us, host Jean Fisher Brinkley talks with NCMB's Chief Investigative Officer, Pat Berckmiller about the worrying trend the Board has seen around this time of year and the marked increase in licensee arrests for DWI, most of which are alcohol related. Please Note : We’ll be taking a two-month hiatus to recharge and recalibrate for the coming year, with our fi...

Hurricane Helene barreled into Western North Carolina on the morning of Friday, September 27th, leaving unprecedented levels of devastation in its wake. The storm has since been confirmed as the most damaging and deadly hurricane in North Carolina history. Host, Jean Fisher Brinkley talks with State Health Director Dr. Betsey Tilson about all of the things NC DHHS has been doing to safeguard the h...

It can be frustrating when medication shortages impact access to essential healthcare. Host Jean Fisher-Brinkley discusses a range of possible solutions with Jay Campbell, Executive Director at the North Carolina Board of Pharmacy. Find out what steps healthcare consumers and providers can take in such situations. Visit our show page for resources mentioned in this episode. Host: Jean Fisher Brink...

Physician suicide is a longstanding issue, with doctors contemplating ending their own lives as frequently as non-physicians. However, a recent survey of North Carolina doctors indicates the problem may be more severe than previously understood. Join Jean Fisher Brinkley and Dr. Joe Jordan, CEO of the North Carolina Professionals Health Program , as they discuss the alarming findings from NCPHP&ap...

Nearly one in three medical professionals who responded to our recent licensee survey told us they had either witnessed or been involved in a violent incident with patients in the last year. In this episode of MedBoard Matters, host, Jean Fisher Brinkley talks with Representative Timothy Reeder, MD who was the primary sponsor of a bill, now a law, called the Hospital Violence Protection Act. Click...

As the oldest continuously operating medical board in the United States and territories, NCMB just celebrated 165 years in operation. Host, Jean Fisher Brinkley is joined by current Board CEO Thom Mansfield and former CEO David Henderson as they test their knowledge of early Board history. Host: Jean Fisher Brinkley Guests: Thom Mansfield, JD and David Henderson, JD Producer: Sylvia French-Hodges...

On this episode of MedBoard Matters, we interview two former Board Members (and Presidents) and our current Board President, Dr. Christine Khandelwal and uncover what drew each of them into pursuing service on the North Carolina Medical Board. Plus we outline the process for becoming a Board Member and much more. View the resources mentioned in this episode here . Host: Jean Fisher Brinkley Guests...

On this episode of MedBoard Matters we are partnering once again with NC DHHS to raise licensee awareness of a worrying resurgence of an illness considered all but eradicated: syphilis. Host, Jean Fisher Brinkley talks with Dr. Victoria Mobley, Medical Director of the HIV and Sexually Transmitted Disease section of the state Division of Public Health on ways clinicians can aid in the efforts to co...

In this episode of MedBoard Matters, we are talking all about medical corporations and NCMB’s role in helping to register them in accordance with state law. Host, Jean Fisher Brinkley talks with the Board's Corporations Coordinator Malinda Sink about the key things our licensees should do when "hanging out their shingle". View the resources mentioned in this episode here . Host: Jea...

Problems and misunderstandings with physician supervision of PAs, NPs and other APPs are perennial issues in North Carolina Medical Board (NCMB) enforcement cases. In this episode of MedBoard Matters, Host, Jean Fisher Brinkley talks with John Goldfield, PA-C, who is an Assistant Medical Director with the NCMB about his experiences building successful relationships with supervising physicians. Hos...

In this episode of MedBoard Matters, Host, Jean Fisher Brinkley talks with Clare Studwell, Founder & CEO of Flow Strategy about the survey results from our 2023 Licensee Survey. The Board asked providers to weigh in on topics ranging from their employment challenges to changes in opioid prescribing  to implementation of telemedicine in their practices. Listen in and see what we learned. Visit...

In this episode of MedBoard Matters, Host, Jean Fisher Brinkley talks with Dr. Robyn Jordan, Medical Director of the UNC Addiction Medicine Fellowship about a new eight hour continuing medical education (CME) series that focuses on the treatment of opioid use disorder. This series satisfies the new one-time DEA training requirement that is part of the Medication and Treatment Access or MATE Act. ...

In this episode of MedBoard Matters, Host, Jean Fisher Brinkley and the Board's Director of Legal Department Operations, Carren Mackiewicz,  discuss the Board’s revamped compliance & monitoring program and cover what the Board is doing to ensure that licensees who are ordered by the Board to do something  - either in the interim or permanently - are in compliance. Resources Medical board...