Highlights
- More than 75% of Arizona Medical Board complaints were not resolved within the 180-day standard, per a 2026 Walker and Armstrong audit.
- Priority 1 complaints, including sexual misconduct and severe care violations, also missed the 180-day threshold.
- One case took more than three years to close; the physician continued practicing throughout the investigation.
- State audits dating to 1981 have repeatedly found the same deficiency, with the board's executive director citing legislative budget constraints on staffing.
A state performance audit released this week found the Arizona Medical Board failed to resolve more than three-fourths of complaints within the 180-day standard set by the Auditor General's Office, a finding that extends to the board's highest-priority cases involving sexual misconduct and severe quality-of-care violations. The audit was conducted by the accounting firm Walker and Armstrong.
The board now regulates more than 35,000 doctors and approximately 5,600 physician assistants, a regulated population that has grown substantially since 1981, when the board oversaw fewer than 5,900 total professionals. Despite that expansion, the board's complaint-resolution performance has not improved: audits conducted by the Arizona Auditor General as far back as 1981 all found that the board has not investigated and resolved complaints in a timely manner.
The consequences for patients are concrete. One case took more than three years to resolve; the physician remained in practice throughout the investigation, which involved allegations of failing to obtain patient consent and care violations. A separate case against a radiologist took 1,653 days to close after the board investigated the physician for allowing an assistant to independently perform procedures on patients.
Why has the board missed this standard for more than four decades?
The board's executive director has cited legislative budget constraints that limit the agency's ability to hire sufficient investigative staff. The Auditor General's Office has flagged the same deficiency in every performance review cycle since 1981, suggesting the staffing and resource gap has persisted across multiple administrations and legislative sessions without a structural fix.
For Scottsdale and Paradise Valley residents who rely on the board's public disciplinary records when vetting physicians, the audit signals that a complaint filed today may not produce a public resolution for well over six months, and in some cases years, while the subject physician continues to practice. The Arizona Auditor General's Medical Board page lists the full August 31, 2026 sunset review report at azauditor.gov. Whether the Legislature acts on the audit's findings before the board's next sunset review is the question to watch.
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- kjzz.org retrieved 04/09/2026 01:46
- AZ Auditor General retrieved 04/09/2026 01:46
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 04/09/2026 01:46. Every claim traces to a source.
