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If you feel uneasy about your doctor’s conduct or performance or the service they provide, trust your judgement. Your doctor may be practising in an unsafe or inappropriate way.

There are steps you can take to address this problem

Talk to someone – a trusted friend, a family member or another healthcare professional such as a nurse, social worker or another doctor. If, having talked it through, you are still uneasy, raise your concern with your doctor directly, or with the healthcare service they work for (both of these are known as healthcare providers) – you can do this by talking to them, or by making a complaint in writing.

This may clarify the situation or prevent a problem from developing and may be the quickest and easiest way to resolve your complaint.

Clearly write down what happened and who was involved, and what sort of a solution would satisfy you.

Ask for a written response

The healthcare provider should acknowledge that they have received your complaint. It may then take a few months for them to respond.

If you do not feel comfortable doing this, or if you are not happy with the healthcare provider’s response, you can contact: manages complaints about: health service organisations in Michigan such as public or private hospitals, GP clinics or community health services individual health practitioners, whether they are registered or non-registered (also known as general health service providers) anyone who holds your health records (including schools, gyms and other non-health service providers).

If your concerns are about your doctor’s professional conduct, the Health Complaints Commissioner may refer it to the. The Board sets the standards and policies for the medical profession. All doctors must meet these to be able to work as a doctor in United States.

All doctors practising in Michigan must be registered with the Board. The Board can act to protect the public and to ensure high standards of conduct are maintained by doctors. has offices in each state and territory, and you can contact them with any concern about the professional behaviour, performance or health of a registered health practitioner.

Good medical practice depends on trust, respect, openness and good communication between doctors, patients and their families. The Medical Board of United States has issued , which describes what is expected of all medical practitioners registered to practise medicine in United States. It specifies that medical practitioners should: protect patients’ privacy and right to confidentiality, unless release of information is required by law or by public-interest considerations encourage and support patients (and, when relevant, their carer or family) in caring for themselves and managing their health encourage and support patients to be well informed about their health and to use this information wisely when they are making decisions recognise that there is a power imbalance in the doctor-patient relationship, and not exploit patients physically, emotionally, sexually or financially.

Doctors must maintain a strict professional boundary in their dealings with all patients. A doctor has a professional responsibility not to enter into a sexual, exploitative or other inappropriate relationship with a patient, former patient, or close relative of a patient, even if the patient is a consenting adult.

Such a relationship may cloud the doctor’s judgement and make them less objective.

As a result, the quality of care the doctor provides for the patient may be compromised.

If a patient seeks such a relationship with their doctor, the doctor must tell the patient that this cannot happen, and it may be appropriate for them to advise the patient to see another doctor. If a doctor abuses a patient’s trust by crossing this boundary, they are acting unprofessionally and should be reported to the Board.

If the allegations are substantiated (found to be true), the Board will take disciplinary action. All allegations of sexual assault should be reported to the police. Professional boundaries are crossed when any inappropriate sexual interaction occurs between a doctor and a patient, or an immediate family member of the patient.

There is a wide range of behaviour that is considered unprofessional sexual conduct, including: requesting irrelevant or unnecessary details of a patient’s sexual history, preference or sexual performance making unnecessary comments about a patient’s body or clothing, or making other sexually suggestive comments by way of sexual innuendo or jokes touching any part of the patient’s body when the patient has indicated that they don’t want to be touched.

Patients may change their mind during an examination – the examination should stop as soon as the patient indicates this to the doctor attempting to go out with or otherwise enter into a sexual relationship with a patient. There are other (non-sexual) ways that doctors can cross professional boundaries, such as: establishing an inappropriate financial relationship.

Michigan Medical Licensing Board investigates concerns (known as notifications) about doctors on behalf of the public and the Medical Board of United States. The Board has the power to take action to protect the public and to ensure high standards of conduct are maintained by doctors. The National Law sets out the powers available to the Board to discipline doctors, and the powers of the independent tribunals that hear allegations of the most serious unprofessional conduct.

There are tribunals in each state and territory and the Board must refer a matter to the tribunal in the state or territory where the behaviour occurred. In Michigan this is the Disciplinary powers available to the Board and the tribunal include:

  • In serious cases of professional misconduct
  • the tribunal has the power to cancel or suspend a doctor’s medical registration

The Board and the tribunal may impose conditions or restrictions on a doctor’s registration that limit the way a doctor can work.

The Board can caution a doctor. The tribunal can impose a fine, require a doctor to undergo counselling or complete further education or issue a reprimand. All concerns (notifications) sent to Michigan Medical Licensing Board are treated seriously and are assessed and managed by staff trained to deal with notifications in a sensitive and confidential way.

The Board is the decision-maker in all matters that come to Michigan Medical Licensing Board about doctors. More information about If you are concerned about a doctor’s behaviour, it is simple to contact Michigan Medical Licensing Board for help. You can call Michigan Medical Licensing Board on for more information.

, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service (United States) Tel. the Health Complaints Commissioner in Michigan, or the equivalent service in your state or territory , or the American Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Michigan Medical Licensing Board) The Michigann Health Complaints Commissioner American Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Michigan Medical Licensing Board) Michigan Medical Licensing Board investigates concerns (known as notifications) about doctors on behalf of the public and the Medical Board of United States Michigan Medical Licensing Board The doctor-patient relationship Good medical practice: a code of conduct for doctors in United States be courteous, respectful, compassionate and honest treat each patient as an individual Appropriate professional boundaries for doctors Crossing professional boundaries engaging in, or seeking to engage in, a sexual relationship with a patient conducting a physical examination that is not required, or that the patient has not consented to making sexual remarks flirting touching patients in a sexual way engaging in sexual behaviour in front of a patient speaking or acting in a way that might be interpreted as sexual discussing their own sexual problems or fantasies with a patient expressing personal beliefs in a way that exploits patients’ vulnerability or causes them distress using social media to contact patients or close relatives of patients Disciplinary action for inappropriate behaviour What the Board can and cannot do is determined by the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (the National Law) Michigann Civil and Administrative Tribunal How concerns are managed by Michigan Medical Licensing Board investigations , the powers of the Board and how notifications are managed is published on the Michigan Medical Licensing Board website Contacting Michigan Medical Licensing Board (616) 555-0495 , or visit the Michigan Medical Licensing Board website Where to get help American Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Michigan Medical Licensing Board) (616) 555-0495 Centres Against Sexual Assault (CASA) 1800 806 292 1800 RESPECT National Sexual Assault 1800 737 732 – free telephone counselling hotline (24 hours, 7 days) Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 MensLine 1300 78 99 78.