MedBoard Matters

In this episode of MedBoard Matters, allow us to get a little nostalgic as we say goodbye to Mr. R. David Henderson, retiring CEO of the North Carolina Medical Board as he talks about his time at the Board and the many, many changes that have taken place at the organization over the last 26 years.  Host: Jean Fisher Brinkley Guest: R. David Henderson, retiring CEO of the North Carolina Medical Boa...

In this episode of MedBoard Matters we are taking a look at the current landscape for MAT prescribing.  Host, Jean Fisher Brinkley talks with Dr. Blake Fagan, Department Chair of Family Medicine for MAHEC, the Mountain Area Health Education Center about current trends in MAT and dives into a training mandate on the horizon that impacts anyone with an active DEA registration.  Resources mentioned i...

This episode of MedBoard Matters, dives into the second part of our two-part series on N.C. Gen. Stat. §90-5.4 (aka, Duty to Report) ; Specifically on our licensee's duty to report any fraudulent prescribing, drug diversion or theft of controlled substances by a licensee of the Board. Host, Jean Fisher Brinkley talks with the NCMB's Chief Investigative Officer, Pat Berckmiller and Chief...

This episode of MedBoard Matters, dives into the first part of a two-part series on N.C. Gen. Stat. §90-5.4 (aka, Duty to Report ). This update to the NC Medical Practice Act took place in 2019 and requires medical professionals licensed by the North Carolina Medical Board to report: 1. Any sexual misconduct by a licensee of the Board 2. Any fraudulent prescribing, drug diversion or theft of contr...

As 2022 winds down, it seems appropriate to reflect on the year that we've had with the MedBoard Matters podcast and tell you what we have planned in 2023. But most importantly, we want to wish you all a very happy holiday season and thank you for listening to our podcast.  ICYMI, here are our top three podcasts from 2022.   Patient dismissals: Preserving patient welfare when cutting ties Cul...

Have you ever wondered what a physician assistant (PA) is and what role they play in patient care? In this episode of MedBoard Matters, host, Jean Fisher Brinkley talks with Molly Calabria, PA-C (President) and Meg Beal, MMS, PA-C (President-Elect) of the North Carolina Academy of Physician Assistants about their backgrounds, educational journeys, history of the PA profession, and more. Host: Jean...

Can you file an anonymous complaint with the North Carolina Medical Board? The short answer is "yes", but there are some things you need to know first. In this episode of MedBoard Matters, host, Jean Fisher Brinkley talks with the Board's Complaints Manager, Shikha Sinha about the whys and the hows and covers the possible issues with trying to stay anonymous when filing a complaint...

In this episode of MedBoard Matters, host, Jean Fisher Brinkley talks with two of North Carolina's leading experts and educators in utilizing medication for the treatment of opioid use disorder. Dr. Robyn Jordan and Dr. Shuchin Shukla talk about the various trainings available in our state and how stigma and hesitance to prescribe buprenorphine or methadone should not interfere with providers...

In this episode of MedBoard Matters, host, Jean Fisher Brinkley talks about the Board's premiere outreach program called the Regulatory Immersion Series (or RImS for short). This program takes the medical board disciplinary process to students at North Carolina medical and physician assistant programs to help early career professionals understand the role of medical regulation.  Host: Jean Fi...

In this episode of MedBoard Matters, host, Jean Fisher Brinkley talks with the NCMB's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Karen Burke-Haynes about how to best preserve patient welfare when a provider dismisses a patient from their medical practice and covers the obligations they have when cutting ties. Resources mentioned in this podcast: NCMB's position statement on the Licensee-Patient Relation...

In this episode of MedBoard Matters, host, Jean Fisher Brinkley highlights the Board's 2021 annual report and speaks with Dr. Joe Jordan and Dr. Clark Gaither from the NC Professionals Health Program about a troubling threefold increase from 2020 to 2021 of public actions related to alcohol and substance use. Resources mentioned in the podcast: 2021 NCMB Annual Report NC Professionals Health...

In this episode of MedBoard Matters, we talk with NC DHHS Sec. Kody Kinsley about the state's latest COVID-19  efforts and he shares his vision for life beyond COVID-19.  He outlines some of the key health initiatives he plans to focus on for North Carolinians including Medicaid expansion, mental health services, equity and diversity in healthcare, and the power of data analysis to help shape...

In this episode of MedBoard Matters host, Jean Fisher Brinkley talks with NC Medical Board member, Dr. Christine Khandelwal about her journey toward embracing cultural humility in her practice. She provides a great break down of what clinicians can do to enhance their own knowledge and understanding of working with patients with diverse backgrounds – not just race or religion, but a variety of oth...

In this episode of MedBoard Matters host, Jean Fisher Brinkley talks with NCMB’s Chief Investigative Officer, Pat Berckmiller about the North Carolina Medical Board's investigative process to help dispel and demystify it for our licensees. Find resources mentioned in this podcast here . Host: Jean Fisher Brinkley  Guest: Pat Berckmiller  Producer: Sylvia French-Hodges Follow the North Carolin...

In this episode of MedBoard Matters host, Jean Fisher Brinkley speaks with some of North Carolina's foremost experts in addressing child maltreatment and focuses on the clinicians’ critical role in protecting children from abuse. Visit the Board's resource page to access the links mentioned in this episode. Host: Jean Fisher Brinkley  Guests: Molly Berkoff, MD, MPH, Melinda Manning, JD,...

In this episode of MedBoard Matters, we dig deep into our mailbag to answer some of our frequently asked questions and spend a good portion of the episode focused on Physician Assistants and some of the key responsibilities and practice guidelines in place for them. Check out the resources and web links mentioned in this episode. Host: Jean Fisher Brinkley  Guest: Memory Dossenbach Producer: Sylvi...

What is an outside medical reviewer and why does the Board need them? What do they do? How can they help preserve self-regulation in medicine? All of these questions are answered in this episode of MedBoard Matters. Host, Jean Fisher Brinkley talks with NCMB’s Chief Legal Officer Thom Mansfield and Deputy General Counsel Brian Blankenship about how the Board uses outside reviewers and why they’re...

This is a special episode of MedBoard Matters because – it’s our birthday. The month of September marks one full year of podcast episodes, and we thought it appropriate to pause and observe that milestone.  Host, Jean Fisher Brinkley shares some thoughts about what we’ve learned in our first year of podcasting, and where we are headed next with this endeavor.  Host: Jean Fisher Brinkley  Produced...

In this episode, you are going to hear straight from State Health Director and NC DHHS Chief Medical Officer Dr. Elizabeth “Betsey” Tilson about why it’s so important to get vaccination rates up in North Carolina and how pivotal our healthcare providers are to this effort. Dr. Tilson also shares information about several tools that have been developed to help shape conversations for patients who h...

Are you ready to become a more informed patient? In this episode of MedBoard Matters, host, Jean Fisher Brinkley walks listeners through how to perform a provider search on the Board's website and the anatomy of a licensee page. She also answers some pretty key questions about the types of information the Board collects and what it means to healthcare consumers. Host: Jean Fisher Brinkley Pro...

In this episode of MedBoard Matters, host, Jean Fisher Brinkley reviews the STOP Act requirement to check the NC Controlled Substances Reporting System (NC CSRS) before prescribing certain controlled substances which go in effect July 7, 2021.  Jean also talks with Stephanie Johnson, Manager of the PDMP Utilization Project for NC CSRS about recent updates to the system and the ease of practice int...

Mandatory use of NC CSRS goes in effect July 7, 2021. In our next episode of MedBoard Matters, host, Jean Fisher Brinkley will give physicians, physician assistants and other controlled substances prescribers the information they need to ensure they are in compliance by July 7th. Follow the North Carolina Medical Board on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , and  X . Email your questions to:  podcast...

In this episode of MedBoard Matters, host, Jean Fisher Brinkley talks about the medical professional’s obligation to certify deaths and the havoc that results when this obligation is not fulfilled. Resources mentioned in the podcast are located on the Board's podcast page . Host: Jean Fisher Brinkley Guest: Dr. Karen Burke-Haynes Producer: Sylvia French-Hodges Follow the North Carolina Medica...

In this episode of MedBoard Matters, host, Jean Fisher Brinkley talks with NCMB's Chief Investigative Officer, Pat Berckmiller about scams that target our licensees and what steps they can take to protect themselves. Jean also covers some "red flags" to listen for if a phone call sounds a little fishy. Finally, Jean shares some tools that might mitigate any damage for folks who may...

In this episode of MedBoard Matters, host, Jean Fisher Brinkley highlights the Board's 2020 annual report and speaks with the Board's Chief Communications Officer and Legislative Liaison, Evelyn Contre about the Board's Covid-19 response. Host: Jean Fisher Brinkley  Guest: Evelyn Contre  Producer: Sylvia French-Hodges Follow the North Carolina Medical Board on Facebook , Instagram ,...