Page 39 - Part 1 Collaborating with Advanced Practice Providers - An Overview of State Rules

SVMIC Collaborating with Advanced Practice Providers

CASE STUDY

In the case of Khan v Medical Board of California, a physician’s
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approval to supervise physician assistants was revoked for
aiding and abetting the unauthorized practice of medicine. His

physician's and surgeon's certificates were also revoked, but the

revocation was stayed for three years during which time he was
placed on probation. He had hired an individual, Mr. William Mar,

as a PA-C on the basis of that individual’s attestation. Dr. Khan
received Mr. Mar's papers, one of which was a "certification from

some authority" that contained "certain words say[ing] that he

was certified as a physician assistant". Dr. Khan turned the
paperwork over to his former office manager who assured him

that the papers were in order. He hired Mr. Mar and found him to
be such a good worker that it never occurred to him that Mr. Mar

could be unlicensed. The case was brought after a patient went

to his clinic complaining of nausea and vomiting, pain in her ribs,
shortness of breath and no food intake for three days. She was

treated by Mr. Mar, who performed an examination and ordered
a urinalysis. Failing to interpret it properly, he misdiagnosed her

as having gastroenteritis, gave her an injection of antiemetic

medication and advised her to return in a week. In fact, the
patient was critically ill due to the onset of diabetes, and she

required an emergency admission to the hospital the next day.

Despite the defense protestation that Dr. Khan was misled and
had no obligation to independently verify Mr. Mar’s credentials,

the court found “if ... a practicing physician ... can claim that he
could not tell from the paperwork whether Mr. Mar was licensed,

25 Khan v Medical Board of California 16 Cal. Rptr 2d 385, 392 (Cal. App. 1993).

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