2007 Minnesota Statutes

148B.68 PROHIBITED CONDUCT.
    Subdivision 1. Prohibited conduct. The committee may impose disciplinary action as
described in section 148B.69 against any unlicensed mental health practitioner. The following
conduct is prohibited and is grounds for disciplinary action:
(a) Conviction of a crime, including a finding or verdict of guilt, an admission of guilt, or a no
contest plea, in any court in Minnesota or any other jurisdiction in the United States, reasonably
related to the provision of mental health services. Conviction, as used in this subdivision, includes
a conviction of an offense which, if committed in this state, would be deemed a felony or gross
misdemeanor without regard to its designation elsewhere, or a criminal proceeding where a
finding or verdict of guilty is made or returned but the adjudication of guilt is either withheld
or not entered.
(b) Conviction of crimes against persons. For purposes of this chapter, a crime against a
person means violations of the following: sections 609.185; 609.19; 609.195; 609.20; 609.205;
609.21; 609.215; 609.221; 609.222; 609.223; 609.224; 609.2242; 609.23; 609.231; 609.2325;
609.233; 609.2335; 609.235; 609.24; 609.245; 609.25; 609.255; 609.26, subdivision 1, clause (1)
or (2) ; 609.265; 609.342; 609.343; 609.344; 609.345; 609.365; 609.498, subdivision 1; 609.50,
clause (1) ; 609.561; 609.562; 609.595; and 609.72, subdivision 3.
(c) Failure to comply with the self-reporting requirements of section 148B.63, subdivision 7.
(d) Engaging in sexual contact with a client or former client as defined in section 148A.01,
or engaging in contact that may be reasonably interpreted by a client as sexual, or engaging in
any verbal behavior that is seductive or sexually demeaning to the patient, or engaging in sexual
exploitation of a client or former client.
(e) Advertising that is false, fraudulent, deceptive, or misleading.
(f) Conduct likely to deceive, defraud, or harm the public; or demonstrating a willful or
careless disregard for the health, welfare, or safety of a client; or any other practice that may
create unnecessary danger to any client's life, health, or safety, in any of which cases, proof of
actual injury need not be established.
(g) Adjudication as mentally incompetent, or as a person who is dangerous to self, or
adjudication pursuant to chapter 253B, as chemically dependent, mentally ill, developmentally
disabled, mentally ill and dangerous to the public, or as a sexual psychopathic personality or
sexually dangerous person.
(h) Inability to provide mental health services with reasonable safety to clients.
(i) The habitual overindulgence in the use of or the dependence on intoxicating liquors.
(j) Improper or unauthorized personal or other use of any legend drugs as defined in chapter
151, any chemicals as defined in chapter 151, or any controlled substance as defined in chapter
152.
(k) Revealing a communication from, or relating to, a client except when otherwise required
or permitted by law.
(l) Failure to comply with a client's request made under sections 144.291 to 144.298, or to
furnish a client record or report required by law.
(m) Splitting fees or promising to pay a portion of a fee to any other professional other than
for services rendered by the other professional to the client.
(n) Engaging in abusive or fraudulent billing practices, including violations of the federal
Medicare and Medicaid laws or state medical assistance laws.
(o) Failure to make reports as required by section 148B.63, or cooperate with an investigation
of the office.
(p) Obtaining money, property, or services from a client, other than reasonable fees for
services provided to the client, through the use of undue influence, harassment, duress, deception,
or fraud.
(q) Undertaking or continuing a professional relationship with a client in which the
objectivity of the professional would be impaired.
(r) Failure to provide the client with a copy of the client bill of rights or violation of any
provision of the client bill of rights.
(s) Violating any order issued by the committee.
(t) Failure to comply with sections 148B.60 to 148B.71, and the rules adopted under those
sections.
(u) Failure to comply with any additional disciplinary grounds established by the
commissioner by rule.
(v) Revocation, suspension, restriction, limitation, or other disciplinary action against the
mental health practitioner's license, certificate, registration, or right of practice in this or another
state or jurisdiction, for offenses that would be subject to disciplinary action in this state, or
failure to report to the Office of Mental Health Practice that charges regarding the practitioner's
license, certificate, registration, or right of practice have been brought in this or another state
or jurisdiction.
(w) Bartering for services with a client.
    Subd. 2. Evidence. In disciplinary actions alleging a violation of subdivision 1, paragraph
(a), (b), (c), or (g), a copy of the judgment or proceeding under the seal of the court administrator
or of the administrative agency that entered the same is admissible into evidence without further
authentication and constitutes prima facie evidence of its contents.
    Subd. 3. Examination; access to medical data. (a) If the committee has probable cause
to believe that an unlicensed mental health practitioner has engaged in conduct prohibited
by subdivision 1, paragraph (g), (h), (i), or (j), the committee may issue an order directing the
practitioner to submit to a mental or physical examination or chemical dependency evaluation.
For the purpose of this subdivision, every unlicensed mental health practitioner is deemed to have
consented to submit to a mental or physical examination or chemical dependency evaluation
when ordered to do so in writing by the committee and further to have waived all objections to the
admissibility of the testimony or examination reports of the health care provider performing the
examination or evaluation on the grounds that the same constitute a privileged communication.
Failure of an unlicensed mental health practitioner to submit to an examination or evaluation
when ordered, unless the failure was due to circumstances beyond the practitioner's control,
constitutes an admission that the unlicensed mental health practitioner violated subdivision 1,
paragraph (g), (h), (i), or (j), based on the factual specifications in the examination or evaluation
order and may result in a default and final disciplinary order being entered after a contested case
hearing. An unlicensed mental health practitioner affected under this paragraph shall at reasonable
intervals be given an opportunity to demonstrate that the practitioner can resume the provision of
mental health services with reasonable safety to clients. In any proceeding under this paragraph,
neither the record of proceedings nor the orders entered by the committee shall be used against a
mental health practitioner in any other proceeding.
(b) In addition to ordering a physical or mental examination or chemical dependency
evaluation, the committee may, notwithstanding section 13.384, 144.651, 595.02, or any other
law limiting access to medical or other health data, obtain medical data and health records
relating to an unlicensed mental health practitioner without the practitioner's consent if the
committee has probable cause to believe that a practitioner has engaged in conduct prohibited by
subdivision 1, paragraph (g), (h), (i), or (j). The medical data may be requested from a health
care professional, as defined in section 144.291, subdivision 2, paragraph (h), an insurance
company, or a government agency, including the Department of Human Services. A health care
professional, insurance company, or government agency shall comply with any written request of
the committee under this subdivision and is not liable in any action for damages for releasing the
data requested by the committee if the data are released pursuant to a written request under this
subdivision, unless the information is false and the person or organization giving the information
knew, or had reason to believe, the information was false. Information obtained under this
subdivision is private data under section 13.41.
History: 1991 c 292 art 2 s 58; 1Sp1994 c 1 art 2 s 15; 1995 c 164 s 2; 1995 c 229 art 4
s 9; 1995 c 259 art 3 s 1; 1999 c 227 s 22; 2000 c 460 s 33; 2005 c 56 s 1; 2005 c 147 art 8 s
4; 2007 c 147 art 10 s 15

NOTE: This section is repealed by Laws 2003, chapter 118, section 29, paragraph (a), as
amended by Laws 2004, chapter 279, article 5, section 10, and Laws 2005, chapter 147, article 8,
section 3, effective July 1, 2009. Laws 2003, chapter 118, section 29, paragraph (a), the effective
date, as amended by Laws 2004, chapter 279, article 5, section 10, and Laws 2005, chapter 147,
article 8, section 3.