Enforcement of commercial violations by health professional regulatory boards: a research note

This article explores the nature of disciplinary decisions of health professional regulatory boards in response to commercial violations by licensees. Decisions of the Virginia Boards of Dentistry, Medicine and Optometry are analyzed to assess the extent to which disciplinary decisions appear to protect the economic interests of professionals versus the health, safety and welfare of the public. Sanctions imposed on commercial and non-commercial violations are compared. Given the criticism that regulatory boards are more concerned with commercial practices rather than quality of care practices, it was expected that board disciplinary actions would reflect this concern. The results indicate that there is no significant difference in the severity of sanctions imposed on both types of violations. Commercial violations, when compared with non-commercial violations, are not sanctioned more harshly by regulatory boards. The implications for self-interest theories of professional regulation and policies governing commercial practices of health professionals are discussed.