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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>66883</law_id><section_number>54.1-2925</section_number><catch_line>Use of experts in disciplinary proceedings</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="54.1">Professions and Occupations</unit><unit label="subtitle" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="III">Professions and Occupations Regulated by Boards Within the Department of Health Professions</unit><unit label="chapter" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="29">Medicine and Other Healing Arts</unit><unit label="article" level="4" order_by="1" identifier="2">Board of Medicine</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>In any disciplinary proceeding conducted pursuant to this chapter, the executive director may <span class="dictionary">contract</span> with an expert or a <span class="dictionary">panel</span> of experts in the various specialties to provide assistance in investigating and evaluating practitioners who may be subject to punitive action. The executive director may select experts for this purpose from lists of specialists to be provided and regularly updated by the appropriate professional societies. Any <span class="dictionary">contract</span> between the executive director and any consulting expert shall provide that the consulting expert shall: (i) be available to work with an investigator from the beginning of the investigation; (ii) receive appropriate compensation for his services; (iii) review and evaluate a completed investigation report in accordance with guidelines established by the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> and the Office of the <span class="dictionary">Attorney General</span> and return it to the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> for action within a specified period of time; and (iv) be available to testify for the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> in any administrative or <span class="dictionary">court</span> proceeding arising from the investigations in which he has participated.
		Any expert assisting in any investigation voluntarily or under the <span class="dictionary">contract</span> arrangements described in this section shall be immune from any civil liability or criminal <span class="dictionary">prosecution</span> resulting therefrom unless he acted in bad faith or with <span class="dictionary">malicious</span> <span class="dictionary">intent</span>.</p></section></text><history>1986, c. 434, &#xA7; 54-318.4; 1988, c. 765; 1996, c. 519.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
