Medical Board President Focuses on Public Awareness

Steve Alexander, elected last month to a one-year term as president of the California Medical Board, is working on a number of projects to raise public awareness about the board, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Alexander said he hopes to make consumers more aware of the board's watchdog role and to develop "a good working relationship with doctors and not just be seen as the long arm of the law."

Alexander plans to launch a public service advertising campaign that directs the public to the board's Web site and wants to make the board a forum for medical issues such as medical error reporting and purchasing prescription drugs over the Internet.

He also will work on implementing new state laws that change the way the board conducts investigations. Under the laws, the board and the Attorney General's Office must collaborate on investigations and complaints must be addressed more quickly (Hasemyer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6/26).