Sexual misconduct complaints against Calif. doctors up sharply

The number of complaints against California physicians for sexual misconduct has risen 62% since 2017—a jump that coincides with the beginning of the #MeToo movement. A Los Angeles Times analysis of California Medical Board data found complaints of sexual misconduct, though small in number, are among the fastest-growing type of allegation.

During the fiscal year that ended in June, the board received 11,406 complaints overall against physicians and surgeons, the most it has ever received.

In fiscal 2017-18, 280 complaints were filed against physicians for sexual misconduct, compared with 173 the previous year. In fiscal 2018-19, there were 279. During that same time, medical boards across the country also noticed a surge in sexual misconduct complaints.

Larry Nassar, a former USA Gymnastics doctor, was sentenced in 2018 to 40 to 175 years in prison for molesting young athletes. The same year, hundreds of women accused former longtime University of Southern California gynecologist George Tyndall of inappropriate behavior. In June, former University of California at Los Angeles gynecologist James Heaps was charged with sexual battery and exploitation during his treatment of two patients.

The California Medical Board, which licenses more than 140,000 physicians, has the power to revoke a doctor’s license if it decides that person has acted inappropriately and violated the terms of their license. Since mid-2017, 23 physicians in the state have lost their medical licenses because of sexual misconduct.