Medical Board of California

What Medical Board of California does

The Medical Board of California, founded in 1876 under the Medical Practice Act, is the State of California's regulatory agency responsible for licensing physicians and surgeons and certain allied healthcare professionals (licensed midwives, polysomnographic technologists). It operates under the California Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) and the Business and Consumer Services Agency (BCSA), with statutory authority to investigate complaints, discipline violators, and maintain public records of administrative actions. The Board serves two distinct audiences: (1) physicians, surgeons, postgraduate trainees, and allied professionals seeking licensure and renewal, and (2) California healthcare consumers filing complaints, verifying credentials, and accessing disciplinary records. It is governed by 15 appointed Board Members (8 physicians, 7 public members) and led by Executive Director Reji Varghese.

The Board's core technology infrastructure includes the BreEZe online licensing and enforcement platform, the License Verification System (LVS) for public records search, the Direct Online Certification Submission (DOCS) service for primary-source document delivery from medical schools, and the CURES prescription drug monitoring program operated jointly with the California Department of Justice. A License Alert mobile application was released in July 2018, and CURES underwent major optimization in April 2022 with expanded Delegate functionality and new identity verification requirements. The Board processes several thousand complaints annually through its Central Complaint Unit and partners with the Department of Investigation/Health Quality Investigation Unit (HQIU) and the Attorney General's Office for enforcement, plus four Board-approved accreditation agencies (AAAHC, Quad A, The Joint Commission, ACHC) for outpatient surgery setting oversight.

As a state government agency, the Board is funded through licensing fees and appropriations rather than commercial revenue. Fee-based revenue streams include Physician and Surgeon's License fees, Postgraduate Training License fees, Licensed Midwife and Polysomnographic registration fees, Fictitious Name Permit fees ($70 initial/$50 biennial renewal plus $20 delinquent fee), and the CURES annual fee ($15 per year as of July 2025, up from $9). Services are delivered statewide through self-service digital channels (BreEZe, LVS, DOCS) and phone/in-person inquiry support, with communications also distributed via a quarterly newsletter, a podcast, social media, and public service announcements.

Name

Medical Board of California

Legal name

Medical Board of California

Website

http://www.mbc.ca.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1876

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

The Medical Board of California, founded in 1876 under the Department of Consumer Affairs, licenses and regulates physicians and surgeons and certain allied healthcare professionals in California, investigates complaints, and disciplines violators of the Medical Practice Act.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Professional Licensing and Regulation

NAICS

Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors (92615), Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors (926150)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Healthcare Licensing, Accreditation & Credentialing Boards (HLAJACAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Healthcare Compliance & Enforcement Authorities (HLAJACAB), Regulatory Compliance, Licensing & Enforcement (Public Health) (HLAJAMAE)

Keywords

• Medical licensing
• Physician regulation
• Healthcare licensing
• Complaint investigation
• Prescription drug monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Physician and Surgeon Licensing Fees: Fees collected from initial license applications, renewals, and various license types (Physician's and Surgeon's License, Postgraduate Training License, Licensed Midwife, Polysomnographic registrations). Revenue supports licensing program operations.
2. Fictitious Name Permit Fees: $70 processing fee for new permits, $50 renewal fee biennially, plus $20 delinquent fee. Approximately 1,225 applications processed annually.
3. CURES Fee: Annual fee charged to licensees authorized to prescribe controlled substances. Fee increased from $9 to $15 annually for licenses expiring on and after July 1, 2025. Most licensees pay $30 biennially due to renewal cycle. Covers DOJ costs for operating and maintaining CURES.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Medical Board of California is a state regulatory agency that licenses and regulates physicians and surgeons and certain allied healthcare professionals, investigates complaints against licensees, and disciplines those who violate the Medical Practice Act. It operates multiple licensing programs (Physician's and Surgeon's License, Postgraduate Training License, Licensed Midwife, Polysomnographic registrations), approves accreditation of outpatient surgery settings, issues Fictitious Name Permits, and runs public-facing services including license verification, the CURES prescription drug monitoring program (in partnership with DOJ), and complaint filing and review.

Product overview

The Medical Board of California operates as a regulatory agency providing a portfolio of licensing, enforcement, and public information services rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include the Physician and Surgeon's License and Postgraduate Training License programs for medical professionals, the Licensed Midwife Program, Polysomnography Registration, Outpatient Surgery Setting Accreditation, and Fictitious Name Permits. Supporting infrastructure includes the License Verification System (LVS) for public license lookups, the BreEZe licensing/enforcement platform, Direct Online Certification Submission (DOCS) for document handling, and the Expert Reviewer and Medical Consultant Programs for case evaluation. The board also operates the CURES prescription drug monitoring system in conjunction with the Department of Justice. Consumer-facing services include the complaint filing process and various publications including the Medical Board Chat podcast and quarterly newsletter.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Physician and Surgeon Licensing Licensing program that issues Physician's and Surgeon's (M.D.) licenses to qualified individuals who graduate from approved medical schools, complete required postgraduate training, and meet all licensing requirements.
• Postgraduate Training License (PTL) License issued to medical residents enrolled in California ACGME-accredited postgraduate training programs, allowing them to practice medicine in connection with their residency duties.
• Licensed Midwife Program Licensing and regulatory program for licensed midwives who attend normal pregnancy and childbirth cases and provide prenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum care.
• Polysomnography Registration Registration program for polysomnographic trainees, technicians, and technologists who assist with sleep disorder testing under physician supervision.
• Outpatient Surgery Setting Accreditation Program that approves accreditation agencies and maintains a public list of accredited outpatient surgery settings where anesthesia is administered at levels requiring patient protective reflex monitoring.
• Fictitious Name Permit Permit allowing licensed physicians and surgeons or podiatrists to practice under a business name other than their own legal name.
• Complaint Filing and Review Process Consumer-facing service for filing complaints against licensees, including online submission through BreEZe, with subsequent review by the Central Complaint Unit and potential investigation.
• Expert Reviewer Program Program that engages licensed physicians and surgeons to provide expert reviews, opinions, and testimony on Board enforcement cases, as well as conduct professional competency, physical, and psychiatric examinations.
• Medical Consultant Program Program utilizing medical consultants to review and provide expert medical opinions on complaints and enforcement matters related to physician practice.
• License Alert Mobile App Consumer-facing mobile application for license alerts released on Apple iOS in July 2018.
• License Verification System (LVS) Online system allowing authorized users to search and verify the license status of physicians and surgeons in California, including administrative actions and disciplinary records.
• Direct Online Certification Submission (DOCS) Secure online document delivery system allowing medical schools and postgraduate training programs to submit primary-source licensing documents to the Board, required for applications from January 1, 2024.
• CURES (Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System) State prescription drug monitoring program operated by the California Department of Justice that tracks controlled substance prescriptions dispensed in California. Licensees authorized to prescribe Schedule II-V controlled substances are required to report dispensations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Protects California healthcare consumers from unqualified or unethical physicians through investigation and disciplinary action
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC)coreTechnology or IntegrationAAAHC is one of four Board-approved accreditation agencies for outpatient surgery settings. They inspect and accredit outpatient surgery settings that must meet California Health and Safety Code standards. They must inspect each setting at least once every three years and report deficiencies, reprimands, probations, suspensions, or revocations to the Board within 24 hours.
• Quad AcoreTechnology or IntegrationQuad A (formerly AAAASF) is a Board-approved accreditation agency for outpatient surgery settings. They conduct inspections and accredit settings requiring anesthesia that poses risk to patient life-preserving reflexes. They report adverse actions to the Board within required timeframes.
• The Joint CommissioncoreTechnology or IntegrationThe Joint Commission is a Board-approved accreditation agency for outpatient surgery settings. They inspect accredited settings and report deficiencies, reprimands, probations, suspensions, or revocations to the Board within 24 hours.
• Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC)coreTechnology or IntegrationACHC is a Board-approved accreditation agency for outpatient surgery settings. They perform inspections and accreditation of outpatient surgery settings and report adverse actions to the Board.
• Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDCA is the parent agency of the Medical Board of California. The Board is one of over 40 DCA entities aimed at consumer protection. DCA oversees boards licensing professionals from architects to veterinarians.
• Business and Consumer Services Agency (BCSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBCSA is the parent agency of DCA. BCSA's mission is to protect consumers by licensing and regulating California professionals and businesses.
• Department of Investigation/Health Quality Investigation Unit (HQIU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHQIU conducts field investigations for the Board on complaints that warrant further investigation after medical consultant review. They are part of the enforcement process before matters are referred to the Attorney General's Office.
• California Department of Justice - CURES ProgramcoreTechnology or IntegrationCURES (Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System) is operated by the California Department of Justice. The Board works with DOJ on CURES fee collection and prescription monitoring. In 2022, the data collection vendor changed to a new vendor managed by DOJ.
• Department of Managed Health CareminorOthersThe Board refers consumers with problems regarding health plans to the Department of Managed Health Care at (800) 400-0815, as the Board does not regulate health plans or insurance companies.
• California Department of InsuranceminorOthersThe Board refers consumers with problems regarding insurance companies to the California Department of Insurance at (213) 897-8921.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/medboardofca
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CAMedicalBoard/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/MedicalBoardCA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/medical-board-of-california

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Medical Board of California