HARRIS COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY BYLAWS
(As Amended October 24, 2006)
ARTICLE XIII. COMMITTEES
Section 2. PUBLIC GRIEVANCE. This peer review committee shall consist of nine members with three-year terms, appointed so that three are appointed each year. Appointments should represent the geographical limits of the Society when possible. The committee will elect a chair and secretary. The duty of this committee shall be to investigate and supervise the ethical deportment of the membership of this Society, and it shall receive complaints from the general public against physician members. Responsibilities and procedures for the committee's involvement in the Disciplinary Process shall be handled according to the Hearings Procedures Manual of the Texas Medical Association.
ARTICLE XIV. BOARD OF ETHICS
Section 1. The Board of Ethics shall consist of seven members, each with a term of three years. Election of members shall be arranged so that no more than three vacancies normally occur each year. The board shall elect its chair each year. Tenure of office by election shall be limited to one three-year term. Serving as much as two years of a three-year term shall be considered as serving a full term. Vacancies shall be filled by appointment by the president with the approval of the Executive Board. It is preferable that members nominated for the board have previous experience participating on peer review committees and adequate practice experience to effectively serve on the Board.
Section 2. The Board of Ethics shall investigate and approve or disapprove applicants for membership.
Section 3. The Board will supervise the ethical deportment of the members of the Society and will counsel individual members where circumstances warrant.
Section 4. The Board will be involved in the Disciplinary Process in accordance with the Hearings Procedures Manual of the TMA.
Section 5. As provided in the TMA Bylaws, the Board of Ethics shall have the authority to investigate on its initiative suspected violations of ethical conduct and to prefer charges when indicated after thorough investigation. The Board of Ethics shall receive and investigate charges of unethical conduct made against members by fellow members of the Society, and shall review the findings of the Public Grievance Committee, making proper disposition of each case.
Section 6. Failure of a physician to cooperate with the proceedings of the Public Grievance Committee or the Board of Ethics is grounds for discipline. The potential disciplinary actions may be censure, probation, or expulsion from membership. Disciplinary actions will be conducted in accordance with the Hearings Procedures Manual of the TMA. Disciplinary action against a member shall be reported in the HCMS Physician Newsletter and, when appropriate, notification will be given to the Texas Medical Board and the National Practitioner Data Bank as required by law.
Section 7. A record will be made of Society membership and status of each member nominated for Emeritus, Honorary, Life or Retired membership.