Two physicians are suing multiple members of the Medical Board of California to halt regulation that requires continuing medical education courses in the state to include discussion of implicit bias, according to court documents.
The doctors, Dr. Azadeh Khatibi and Dr. Marilyn M. Singleton, as well as Virginia-based nonprofit, Do No Harm, filed the lawsuit against the board that enforces the law in the US District Court in the Central District of California on Aug. 1. The lawsuit argues that AB 241, which went into effect in January 2022, violates their First Amendment rights.
“There is inconsistent evidence that implicit bias in healthcare is prevalent and results in disparate treatment outcomes,” the lawsuit states. “Even assuming sufficient evidence exists that implicit bias in healthcare is prevalent and results in disparate treatment outcomes, there is no evidence-based consensus that trainings intended to reduce implicit bias are effective.”
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According to reports, physicians are mandated to review the topic when taking 50 hours of continuing medical education courses. They must complete the courses when renewing their license every two years.
Both Khatibi, an ophthalmologist, and Singleton, an anesthesiologist, have taught and organized medical education courses in the state, according to the complaint. They said they want to continue teaching classes but avoid inserting the topic of implicit bias when it’s irrelevant to their respective subjects.
The lawsuit says if they both opted out of the discussion, their course would not “qualify for continuing medical education credit.” This could result in physicians choosing not to take their course.
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