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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, Second Regular Session
AMENDED
health boards; evaluations; notice
Purpose
Establishes procedural requirements for health profession regulatory boards when ordering psychological or psychiatric evaluations of health professionals.
Background
A health profession regulatory board is any board that regulates one or more health professionals in Arizona. The primary purpose of a health profession regulatory board is to protect the public from unlawful, incompetent, unqualified, impaired or unprofessional conduct by practitioners of certain health occupations and professionals. In order for an individual to practice or perform a regulated health occupation or profession or use certain occupational or professional titles in Arizona, a person must meet certain qualifications and apply to the designated health board for the license, certificate or authorization. Each health profession regulatory board has its own processes established for ordering a licensee to submit to a medical, psychological or psychiatric evaluation.
Health profession regulatory boards maintain the authority to investigate complaints and take disciplinary or nondisciplinary action against licensees, which may include requiring a licensee to undergo a medical, psychological or psychiatric evaluation to assess fitness to practice, as provided in statute, administrative rule or board policy (A.R.S. Title 32).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Requires a health profession regulatory board with probable cause to believe that a health professional may be unable to practice safely or competently to vote on whether to require an evaluation of the health professional.
2. Requires health profession regulatory boards to provide notice to a health professional at least 14 days before voting to require a psychological or psychiatric evaluation of the health professional, including a summary of the action or complaint that prompted the board to consider requiring the evaluation.
3. Allows a health professional to provide a written response to the notice.
4. Requires the health profession regulatory board to consider any written response by the health professional when determining whether to require an examination.
5. Grants a health professional the right to appear at the hearing and testify before the health profession regulatory board regarding the matter that is the subject of the notice.
6. Requires a health profession regulatory board that votes to require an evaluation to provide the health professional with a copy of the completed evaluation.
7. Requires a health profession regulatory board, if no disciplinary or nondisciplinary actions are taken as a result of the evaluation, to reimburse the health professional for any costs incurred in obtaining the evaluation.
8. Clarifies that a health profession regulatory board retains authority to summarily suspend a license under existing law.
9. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Amendments Adopted by Committee of the Whole
2. Limits health profession regulatory board hearing notice requirements for proposed licensee evaluations to psychological or psychiatric evaluations.
3. Clarifies that a health profession regulatory board retains authority to summarily suspend a license under existing law.
Senate Action
HHS 1/21/26 DP 5-2-0
Prepared by Senate Research
February 26, 2026
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