ARIZONA MEDICAL BOARD

FISCAL YEAR 2004-2005
ANNUAL REPORT

9545 East Doubletree Ranch Road
Scottsdale, Arizona 85258
(480) 551-2700 or toll-free (877) 255-2212
www.azmd.gov

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Letter to the Governor, Janet Napolitano …………………………………………..……….. Page 2
.
ARIZONA MEDICAL BOARD
Board Membership ………………………………………………………………………….. Page 3
Board Reorganization ……….……………………………………………………………… Page 7
Board Accomplishments …………………………………………………………………….. Page 8
Licensing ……………………………………………………………………………...……… Page 9
Regulation ………….………………………………………………………………………… Page 10
Budget …..…………………………………………………………………………….……… Page 12

Page 1

ARIZONA MEDICAL BOARD MEMBERSHIP
Tim B. Hunter, M.D., FACR, the
Board’s Chair, is a tenured professor and ViceChairman of the Department of Radiology at the
University of Arizona. Previously, he served as chief of staff
of University Medical Center
and was the founder and first
director of the Tucson Breast
Center. Featured in "Who's
Who in Medicine and Healthcare," Dr. Hunter, along with
two other physicians, was
awarded a patent for a digital
mammography apparatus. A prolific author and
speaker, Dr. Hunger is a Fellow of the American
College of Radiology (FACR). Dr. Hunter received his medical degree at Northwestern University in Chicago. He completed his internship
at Wayne County General Hospital in Eloise,
Michigan; his residency in diagnostic radiology at
the University of Michigan; and his fellowship at
the University of Arizona in Tucson.
William R. Martin, III, M.D., the
Board’s Vice Chair, is an Orthopedic Surgeon at
Copper State Orthopedics, Ltd., Phoenix, Arizona. In addition to his busy
private practice, he helps to
provide Orthopedic services for
Children’s Rehabilitative Services (CRS), the Veteran’s Administration (VA) Hospital, and
the American Indian population. Dr. Martin is a founding
member of the Dr. Charles E.
Gavin Memorial Foundation
and serves on the Board of Directors of many
public and private organizations.

ciation, the Maricopa County Medical Society,
and the Western Orthopaedic Association. Dr.
Martin received his medical degree from Loyola
University of Chicago in Maywood, Illinois.

Douglas D. Lee, M.D., the Board’s

Secretary, is a Board certified anesthesiologist
practicing in Flagstaff, Arizona. He graduated
from the University of Arizona School of Medicine,
completed an internship at
the National Naval Medical
Center in Bethesda, Maryland and a residency at the
Naval Regional Medical
Center in San Diego, California. From 1980 to 1981, Dr. Lee was a United
States Marine General Medical Officer in Okinawa, Japan, and he was also a reservist called to
serve in the Desert Shield/Desert Storm 1st Marine Division from 1990 to 1991.
In addition to his professional experience, Dr.
Lee is a member of the Arizona Society of Anesthesiologists and a member of the American
Board of Anesthesiologists. He previously served
as the Chairman of Anesthesia for the Flagstaff
Medical Center (FMC), President of the FMC
Medical Staff, and President of the Arizona Society of Anesthesiologists. He currently serves as a
Staff Anesthesiologist at FMC and Managing
Partner of Forest County Anesthesia, PC. He is
also a Board Member of the FMC Ambulatory
Surgery Center and a member of the FMC Credentials Committee.

Dr. Martin has been a member of the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored
People since 1973. He is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the
American Medical Association, the Arizona Medical Association, the Arizona Orthopaedic AssoPage 3

ARIZONA MEDICAL BOARD MEMBERSHIP
Patrick N. Connell, M.D., has
recently retired from an active urban emergency
department practice. He currently is working part
time in the Pediatric Emergency
Department at Maricopa Medical Center, and as a volunteer
physician in Central America.
Dr. Connell has worked with
the American College of Emergency Physicians as a member
of their Practice Management
Committee and assisted in policy development for the College.
He is a past president of the Arizona College of
Emergency Physicians and has served on their
Board for ten years. Dr. Connell has been a Fellow of the American College of Emergency
Physicians since 1983. Dr. Connell received his
medical degree at the University of Arizona and
performed his residency in surgery at University
Hospital in Tucson. .
Ronnie R. Cox, Ph.D., is a faculty
member in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University. Among his
numerous leadership positions, he was former chair of
the African American Advisory Council to the Governor
of Arizona, chairperson for
the Arizona State Black Faculty, Staff, and Student Caucus, and board member of the
Maricopa County Appellate
Nominating Committee. An Honor Graduate,
Officers Candidate School (OCS), Dr. Cox holds
the rank of colonel in the United States Army
Reserves. He received his Master of Science Degree in education management from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and his doctorate in education-business/finance from the
University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Robert P. Goldfarb, M.D., FACS,
graduated from Tulane University, School of
Medicine and practices in a Tucson, Arizona
Neurosurgery-Neurology
specialty group practice and
serves as President of the
group practice. Dr. Goldfarb
also is the Neurosurgical
Consultant to the University
of Arizona Athletic Teams
and is a Clinical Associate
Professor in the Department
of Surgery, College of Medicine at the University of Arizona.
Dr. Goldfarb completed his Internship at Michael
Reese Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago
and his Residency in Neurological Surgery at the
University of Illinois Hospitals and PresbyterianSt. Luke’s Hospital in Chicago. He is certified by
the American Board of Neurological Surgery and
is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
He has previously served as Chief of the Medical
Staff at Tucson Medical Center and is currently a
Member of the Board of Trustees at El Dorado
Hospital and a member of several professional
societies including the American Association of
Neurological Surgeons (Harvey Cushing Society),
Congress of Neurological Surgeons, American
Medical Association, North American Spine Society, Arizona Medical Association, and the Pima
County Medical Society.

Page 4

ARIZONA MEDICAL BOARD MEMBERSHIP
Ingrid E. Haas, M.D., is an obstetrician/gynecologist, actively practicing in Scottsdale. She graduated from the University of Oregon Health Services Center
and completed a residency in
OB/GYN from Baystate
Medical Center. Dr. Haas is
Board certified in OB/GYN
from the American Board of
Obstetrics and Gynecology
and is a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians
and Gynecologists. She also subspecializes in
Advanced GYN Surgery/Pelviscopy.
Dr. Haas was listed in the Arizona Who’s Who
1984, the Who’s Who for Business and Professional Women, Best Doctors in America 20032004, as one of the “Top Docs in Phoenix” for
the past four years in “Phoenix Magazine” and as
“North Scottsdale’s Favorite Doctor” by “101
North Magazine.”
She is a past Board member of the Scottsdale Memorial Health Foundation. In addition to speaking and presenting at various healthcare groups,
Dr. Haas holds numerous memberships, such as
the American Association of Gynecologic
Laparoscopists, the American Fertility Society, the
Arizona Medical Association, and the Maricopa
County Medical Society.

Becky Jordan served in the United
States Air Force for twenty years. She retired in
1977 with the rank of major. In 1992, Ms. Jordan
was elected State Representative
for District 16, a seat she held
for two terms. While in the
State Legislature, Ms. Jordan
served as chair of the Natural
Resources and Agriculture Committee.
During her distinguished military career, she received the USAF Commendation Medal with one Oak Leaf

Cluster, the USAF Outstanding Unit Award with
three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Republic of Vietnam
Campaign Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal with
for Bronze Service Stars, and the Meritorious Service Medal. Other honors include the University
of Arizona Alumni Association Legion Distinguished Citizen Award and the American Legion
Distinguished Legislator Award. Ms. Jordan received a bachelor of arts in chemistry from
Queens College in Charlotte, North Carolina, and
a bachelor of science in animal science from the
University of Arizona with additional postgraduate coursework in animal physiology.

Ram R. Krishna, M.D., is an orthopedic surgeon who is currently in private practice in
Yuma and was formerly the chief of surgery at
Yuma Regional Medical Center.
Dr. Krishna served as chair of
the Yuma Regional Medical
Center Board of Trustees and as
president of the Yuma County
Medical Society. Currently, he is
a member of the Arizona Orthopedic Society and the Arizona Medical Association. Dr.
Krishna was awarded the Arizona Medical Association’s Distinguished Service Award in 2000 for
his exceptional work in the community.
He obtained his medical degree from Bangalore
University Medical College in Bangalore, India.
He did his internship, a one-year residency in general surgery and a four-year residency in orthopedics at the University of Massachusetts Medical
Center.

Page 5

ARIZONA MEDICAL BOARD MEMBERSHIP
Lorraine Mackstaller, M.D., began her
medical career as a Registered Nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix, and then thirty years
later earned her M.D. at the
University of Arizona in Tucson. She performed her residency in internal medicine at
the University of Arizona and
is currently on staff at the Sarver Heart Center in Tucson. She is Board certified in
internal medicine and specializes in cardiovascular disease. She has served on the Board of the American Heart Association, the Sarver Heart Center
Advisory Board, the University Heart Center
Board, the National Scientific Internal Medicine/
Family Practice Advisory Board, the Hilton Head
Health Institute, and the Arizona Commission on
Women’s Health. Dr. Mackstaller has taught
classes at the University of Arizona College of
Medicine, lectured on women’s health and heart
issues, and authored numerous medical journal
articles. In 2003, Dr. Mackstaller received the
Patients’ Choice Award from the University
Medical Center in Tucson.
Sharon B. Megdal, Ph.D., serves as
Director of the Water Resources Center, as well
as Professor and Specialist of the Department of
Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Arizona. Her work focuses on
water resources management
and policy. She has been a
member of the Arizona Corporation Commission and served
as the Chair of the Arizona
Joint Select Committee on State
Revenues and Expenditures.
In 1997 Dr. Megdal completed a six-year term on
the Arizona State Transportation Board, serving
as the board’s Chair during the last year of her
term. Dr. Megdal has been a member of the

Board of Trustees of TMC Healthcare and the
Board of the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare
Association. She served as Co-Chair of the Governor’s Transportation Vision 21 Task Force and
was a member of the Governor’s Water Management Commission and the Arizona Water Quality
Appeals Board. Dr. Megdal received her doctor
of philosophy degree in economics from Princeton University, with a specialization in public sector economics and econometrics.

Dona Pardo, R.N., Ph.D., has over
thirty years experience in nursing education and
has taught in diploma, associate degree, baccalaureate degree and continuing
education programs.
She
recently retired from the University of Arizona after 21
years of service during which
she taught baccalaureate
nursing students, headed the
Continuing Education program in the College of Nursing, and just prior to retirement was the Administrator, Continuing Education for the Arizona Health Sciences Center. In
her last position, she was responsible for Continuing Education for physicians and nurses. Dr.
Pardo is currently Director of Nursing Education
for Medical Directions, Inc. (MDI), a company
that provides innovative education solutions to
healthcare professionals and healthcare organizations. She is also an active member of the community as a Board Member for Compass Healthcare, and founding Foundation Director and current Treasurer for Tucson Nurses Foundation, a
non-profit organization established to formally
celebrate Nurses Week in the Tucson area. Dr.
Pardo earned her master’s degree in nursing from
the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at
San Antonio and holds a doctorate in higher education from the University of Arizona.

Page 6

BOARD REORGANIZATION
The Arizona Medical Board hired a new Executive Director in December
2004. Since January, 2005 the Executive Team has focused on improving the investigative process by improving the quality of investigations and reducing the
backlog of cases.
The Board currently has eleven fulltime investigators – the largest number of
professional investigators in recent history of
the Board. Formal weekly training is conducted for all investigators. The focus remains on conducting investigations that are
fair, accurate, and thorough.

requires a comprehensive and expandable
software system that is user-friendly and easy
to maintain. The Board is currently working
with the Enterprise Procurement Services
(EPS) and the Government Information
Technology Agency (GITA) in its effort to
replace its existing IT system.

A new Chief Medical Consultant joined the
staff in April. A second full-time consultant
and a new part-time consultant will begin
work in September, joining two other parttime consultants. The new Chief Medical
Consultant contributed to process improvements and has focused on improving the
process for case review by medical consultants.

The Board took steps to improve its community outreach efforts in March. It hired a
Public Information Officer to help maintain
a positive relationship with the media, to
produce a newsletter for licensees, and to
make public speaking appearances.

The increasing investigative caseload is overloading a complicated, aging and difficult to
use database system. Document management
and the need to implement on-line licensing

The Board has contracted with the Department of Administration for business operations and human resources functions. By
doing so the Board was able to reduce the
number of employees in these areas from
five to two.

Page 7

BOARD ACCOMPLISHMENTS
The Arizona Medical Board has a national reputation for excellence, and
licensees agree. They, along with consumer watchdog groups, consistently give the
Board a high rating.
i LICENSING.

i REDEFINING THE PROCESS.

The Board can process an initial medical license application or a license renewal in
two days from when the physician submits all
the required paperwork.
The average time spent acquiring the
paperwork in a routine application is 54 days –
shorter than many other states.
i

RESOLUTION OF CASE BACKLOG.

The Board and its staff have focused
their efforts on reducing the backlog of cases,
and shortening the average time it takes to
open new investigations and complete them.

When a complaint is opened, an investigator conducts a thorough analysis and makes
a recommendation on the resolution of a case.
The chief medical consultant reviews
the opinion of the outside medical consultant
and makes his recommendation.
The Staff Investigational Review Committee checks for accuracy, thoroughness and
fairness before the case is ready for resolution.
i REBUILDING STAFF.

A change in executive staff has brought
with it a new emphasis and commitment to hiring and training experienced staff.

When the Arizona Medical Board takes serious disciplinary action against physicians, it does so because
the action is warranted to protect the public’s health and safety - not to compete with other states.
Year

Public Citizen
Individual Year
Ranking

Public Citizen
Composite 3 Year
Ranking

FSMB Individual
Year Ranking

2004

11th

6th

15th

2003

4th

1st

4th

2002

6th

3rd

4th

2001

1st

5th

1st

Public Citizen Health Research Group is a Washington D.C.-based consumer advocacy organization that
promotes research-based, system-wide changes in health care policy.
The Federation of State Medical Boards is a national organization representing the 70 state medical boards
of the United States and its territories. Acting on behalf of its membership, the Federation’s mission is to
continually improve the quality, safety and integrity of health care in the United States through the development and promotion of high standards for physician licensure and practice.
Page 8

LICENSING
The Arizona Medical Board now has more than 17,500 physicians licensed
to practice medicine. More than 10,000 have Arizona office addresses.
Arizona began licensing medical doctors
in 1903, nine years before Arizona became a state.
The Board licensed 198 physicians the first year.
The first Arizona doctors each paid a fee of $2.00.
The doctors names were entered into The
Great Register, the official record book of licensed
Arizona physicians.
Over the passage of time, fees and the
way records are kept have changed. Information
on licensed physicians is maintained in databases
in the Board’s computers. The money generated

by license fees supports the Arizona Medical
Board’s licensing, investigative, budgetary and
administrative functions.
The Board conducts primary source verifications on educational and training programs
and performs national queries to determine if a
physician has any professional conduct issues in
other states. Although providing the proper
documents is the responsibility of each applicant,
Board Staff help physicians with the verification
process to reduce the overall timeframe for licensure.

Licenses Issued
FY 04

FY 05

Licenses Issued

1,196

1,281

Resident Permits Issued

1,096

1,195

Miscellaneous Licenses Issued

60

133

Dispensing Certificates Issued

366

462

2

2

99%

99%

Average Number of Days to Issue a License
(Date of receipt of fully completed application to final
issue)

Customer Satisfaction Rating

Page 9

REGULATION
A complaint lodged against a physician triggers a process that the Arizona
Medical Board has restructured to ensure a fair and impartial investigation,
while striving for a timely resolution.
When an investigation finds a deviation
from the standard of care, the Arizona Medical
Board uses its authority to discipline those licensees who violate the law.

In the end, the Board is bound by its charge
to protect Arizona citizens from the unlawful and
incompetent practice of medicine. The actions the
Board takes are reflective of that mission.

Disciplinary actions taken against a licensee
are public, and the effect these actions can have
on a physician are long-lasting. For that reason,
the Board takes all complaints against physicians
seriously, and the decision to issue discipline is
based on a thorough, fair and accurate investigation.

Overall, the Board took disciplinary action in
76 cases (see chart below) during FY 05. In 65
other cases, the Board ordered non-disciplinary
measures for physicians, in addition to the 89
cases which resulted in the issuance of Advisory
Letters.

FY 05 Disciplinary Board Orders
50

45

40
30

26 25

22

16

20
10

25
12
7

6

3

9

5

0
Loss of
License

Practice
Restriction

Decree of
Censure

FY 03-04

Letter of
Reprimand

Probation

License
Denial

FY 04-05

Page 10

REGULATION
The Arizona Medical Board’s regulatory activity begins when a complaint
is opened.
Unlike past years, the Board now opens an
investigation only when a complaint meets two
criteria: it has to be against an allopathic physician
and the allegation—if true—must be a violation
of the Medical Practice Act.
During the first half of the 2005 calendar
year, the Board and its staff worked hard to chip
away at a backlog of cases that totaled more than
1,300 in late 2004, while making sure that each
case was thoroughly and fairly investigated.
Average Days to Complete an Investigation

Compliance Monitoring is the Board’s way of
knowing that its orders involving practice restrictions, limitations and probation are being followed. The “2005 Compliance” figure represents
the number of physicians being monitored for
these reasons. Compliance officers conduct random practice audits, review physician records and
report to the Board any findings of noncompliance. Failure to obey a Board order can
lead to more disciplinary action.
Compliance Monitoring
Year

Cases Monitored

Year

Days

2004

180

2004

152

2005 Compliance

178

2005

201*

2005 MAP

91

*The average number of days to complete an investigation
for cases opened during FY 05 is 107 days.

Investigations Remaining Open at
Fiscal Year End
Year

Number**

2004

1,005

2005

1,243

**In FY 04, the Board began opening a complaint for every
correspondence received. That practice was discontinued in
early 2005.

An additional statistic under Compliance
Monitoring is the number of physicians who are
in the Monitored Aftercare Program, or MAP, for
substance abuse rehabilitation. MAP coordinators ensure that physicians comply with the program’s requirements and are safe to practice
medicine. Findings of non-compliance are immediately brought to the Board’s attention.
The Board resolved 13 cases with consent
agreements. Four were non-disciplinary, and nine
consent agreements involved disciplinary actions.

Page 11

BUDGET
The overall increase in the FY 2005 Budget Appropriation for the Arizona
Medical Board represented a two and a half percent rise over FY 2004.
The Board is a 90/10 state agency, a
designation that developed as a result of how
such boards fund their activities.
Ninety percent of all revenue generated
through licensing fees and ancillary billing are
retained by the agency and the remaining ten
percent is returned to the State and added
into the total State budget.
Nearly half of the 2005 fiscal year budget
allocation was for the salaries of Board staff,
including outside medical consultants who

opine on whether or not physicians have
deviated from the standard of care.
The number of fulltime employee positions rose to 60.
Money for travel, both in-state
and out-of-state was decreased, but
funding for Other Operating Expenditures and Equipment was increased.
The Joint Legislative Budget
Committee at the Arizona Legislature
approves the Board’s budget plan.

Budget Appropriations
FY 04

FY 05

58.5

60

2,474,100

2,371,889

632,700

585,690

1,026,700

1,084,800

Travel in-state
Travel out-of-state

65,900
20,800

32,483
5,937

Other operating expenditures

495,000

578,794

Equipment

37,000

246,607

Indirect Cost

58,800

27,400

*4,811,000

*4,933,600

Full-time employee positions

Personnel services
Employee related expenditures
Professional and outside services

Total

*FY 04-05 JLBC Appropriations

Page 12