Compliance and Enforcement
PACBoard’s mission is to benefit the public by granting the BCPA certification and upholding it as the recognized standard of excellence for the competent and ethical practice of health/patient advocacy.
As part of that mission, PACBoard requires all Board Certified Patient Advocates to abide by the Code of Professional Conduct for Board Certified Patient Advocates as a condition to being able to use the BCPA credential. PACBoard has established certain policies and procedures related to enforcing the Code of Professional Conduct, which includes procedures for investigating allegations against BCPA professionals.
If you believe that a Board Certified Patient Advocate has violated the Code of Professional Conduct and would like to report the alleged misconduct, you may submit a complaint form to PACB’s Compliance Committee. Please carefully consider your complaint before filing and be advised that it takes more than a mere disagreement with a BCPA professional or an unsubstantiated claim of misconduct to justify an investigation and potential disciplinary action. Thus, with any complaint against a Board Certified Patient Advocate, you must provide PACB with documents and other evidence to support your claim of unprofessional or unethical conduct.
You can be assured that PACB reviews all complaints against Board Certified Patient Advocates. If, at the conclusion of an investigation, The Compliance Committee determines that there is probable cause to believe a violation of the Code of Professional Conduct has occurred, a recommendation for action will be issued to the PACBoard Executive Committee for review.
Please understand that because PACBoard is strictly a certifying and standards-setting body for those individuals who have met initial and ongoing certification requirements, jurisdiction only extends to the rights of Board Certified Patient Advocates to use the BCPA certification marks. Thus, potential sanctions for those who have been found to have violated PACBoard’s Code of Professional Conduct are limited to the following:
- Letter of Instruction
- Reprimand in the form of a written statement
- Probation for a specified period
- Suspension from certification for a period
- Revocation of the BCPA certification
Compliance Committee investigations are confidential and PACBoard staff is unable to provide you with any information regarding what actions we may or may not be taking with respect to the BCPA named in your complaint. If an investigation results in a public sanction, then that information will be publicized on the PACB website.
PACB’s Compliance Committee Actions and Sanctions provides a fair process pursuant to which Board Certified Patient Advocates are given notice of potential violations and an opportunity to be heard by a panel of other professionals. Because there is procedural fairness built into the process, investigations can often take a considerable amount of time to complete. Also, BCPAs have an opportunity to appeal any decision which can add even more time to the process.
Complaints against BCPA professionals can be submitted to PACB online.
Your complaint should include supporting materials such as relevant letters, contracts, agreements, and other documents. PACBoard staff may contact you to request additional information if needed and may request an interview if necessary.