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Tennessee Department of Health Office of Investigations is Seeking Specialists to be Medical Expert Reviewers


August 30, 2022

The Tennessee Department of Health Office of Investigations is seeking specialists in multiple areas of medicine to serve as medical expert reviewers. This process involves approval by the Office of Investigations and completion of a minimal amount of payment and conflict of interest paperwork to become approved as a vendor for the State of Tennessee.

Upon completion of the vetting and vendor approval process, an expert reviewer will be given a complaint file that has been reviewed by the board’s consultant and attorney with a recommendation for expert review. The expert reviewer evaluates the circumstances and available evidence, then provides a written opinion as to whether a fellow practitioner met the standard of care, fell below the standard of care, or committed gross malpractice. The rate of pay for expert reviewers is $500 per hour, and reviews take three hours on average. There is no travel involved, the review can be done independently at your own pace. Medical expert review for the Office of Investigations does not require any trial testimony.

When requested by the Department of Health to provide disciplinary case review, a physician licensee is eligible for one hour of CME credit for each hour spent reviewing materials, preparing the report, and submitting the report of his/her conclusions. The maximum number of hours a physician may be awarded for this review during the 24 months that precede licensure renewal is ten hours. [BME Rule 0880-02-.19 (3)(c)]

Please email Melanie Rucker, Assistant Director for the Office of Investigations, at melanie.rucker@tn.gov for more information.

The DOH is seeking the experts in the following areas/specialties:
Colorectal Surgery, Dermatology, Gastroenterology, General Surgery, General Surgery – Robotics, General Surgery – Thyroid, Gynecologic, Oncology, Hematology, Internal Medicine, Nephrology, Neurological Surgery, Neurology, Orthopedic Surgery, Osteopathic Gynecology, Osteopathic Internal Medicine, Osteopathic Orthopedic Surgery, Osteopathic Physician, Otolaryngology, Psychiatry, Pulmonology, Radiology, Spinal Surgery, Urology, Vascular Surgery