It is unclear why State Medical Boards (SMBs) sometimes fail to remove misbehaving physicians from practice in a timely manner or what would make SMBs more effective in protecting patients. This project has two aims: 1) obtain expert consensus on promising practices and essential resources needed to protect the public when physicians are accused of serious ethical violations, and barriers to adopting these practices; and 2) review existing state laws governing SMBs, develop an inventory of statutory provisions that align with effective practices, and draft recommendations for statutory language.