(a) All proposed decisions and interim orders of the Medical Quality Hearing Panel designated in § 11371 of the Government Code shall be transmitted to the executive director of the board, or the executive director of the California Board of Podiatric Medicine as to the licensees of that board, within 48 hours of filing.

(b) All interim orders shall be final when filed.

(c) A proposed decision shall be acted upon by the board or by any panel appointed pursuant to Section 2008 or by the California Board of Podiatric Medicine, as the case may be, in accordance with § 11517 of the Government Code, except that all of the following shall apply to proceedings against licensees under this chapter:

(1) When considering a proposed decision, the board or panel and the California Board of Podiatric Medicine shall give great weight to the findings of fact of the administrative law judge, except to the extent those findings of fact are controverted by new evidence.

(2) The board’s staff or the staff of the California Board of Podiatric Medicine shall poll the members of the board or panel or of the California Board of Podiatric Medicine by written mail ballot concerning the proposed decision. The mail ballot shall be sent within 10 calendar days of receipt of the proposed decision, and shall poll each member on whether the member votes to approve the decision, to approve the decision with an altered penalty, to refer the case back to the administrative law judge for the taking of additional evidence, to defer final decision pending discussion of the case by the panel or board as a whole, or to nonadopt the decision. No party to the proceeding, including employees of the agency that filed the accusation, and no person who has a direct or indirect interest in the outcome of the proceeding or who presided at a previous stage of the decision, may communicate directly or indirectly, upon the merits of a contested matter while the proceeding is pending, with any member of the panel or board, without notice and opportunity for all parties to participate in the communication. The votes of a majority of the board or of the panel, and a majority of the California Board of Podiatric Medicine, are required to approve the decision with an altered penalty, to refer the case back to the administrative law judge for the taking of further evidence, or to nonadopt the decision. The votes of two members of the panel or board are required to defer final decision pending discussion of the case by the panel or board as a whole; except that, in the case of the California Board of Podiatric Medicine, the vote of only one member of that board is required to defer final decision pending discussion of the case by the board as a whole. If there is a vote by the specified number to defer final decision pending discussion of the case by the panel or board as a whole, provision shall be made for that discussion before the 100-day period specified in paragraph (3) expires, but in no event shall that 100-day period be extended.

(3) If a majority of the board or of the panel, or a majority of the California Board of Podiatric Medicine vote to do so, the board or the panel or the California Board of Podiatric Medicine shall issue an order of nonadoption of a proposed decision within 100 calendar days of the date it is received by the board. If the board or the panel or the California Board of Podiatric Medicine does not refer the case back to the administrative law judge for the taking of additional evidence or issue an order of nonadoption within 100 calendar days, the decision shall be final and subject to review under Section 2337. Members of the board or of any panel or of the California Board of Podiatric Medicine who review a proposed decision or other matter and vote by mail as provided in paragraph (2) shall return their votes by mail to the board within 30 days from receipt of the proposed decision or other matter.

(4) The board or the panel or the California Board of Podiatric Medicine shall afford the parties the opportunity to present oral argument before deciding a case after nonadoption of the administrative law judge’s decision.

(5) A vote of a majority of the board or of a panel, or a majority of the California Board of Podiatric Medicine, are required to increase the penalty from that contained in the proposed administrative law judge’s decision. No member of the board or panel or of the California Board of Podiatric Medicine may vote to increase the penalty except after reading the entire record and personally hearing any additional oral argument and evidence presented to the panel or board.

(Amended by Stats. 2012, Ch. 332, Sec. 11. (SB 1236) Effective January 1, 2013.)