Mo. Rev. Stat. § 190.165 — MO Code / Chapter 190 / Section 190.165
190.165 Suspension or revocation of licenses, grounds for — procedure.
Status: in_force

190.165. Suspension or revocation of licenses, grounds for — procedure. — 1. The department may refuse to issue or deny renewal of any certificate, permit or license required pursuant to sections 190.100 to 190.245 for failure to comply with the provisions of sections 190.100 to 190.245 or any lawful regulations promulgated by the department to implement its provisions as described in subsection 2 of this section. The department shall notify the applicant in writing of the reasons for the refusal and shall advise the applicant of his or her right to file a complaint with the administrative hearing commission as provided by chapter 621 .

2. The department may cause a complaint to be filed with the administrative hearing commission as provided by chapter 621 against any holder of any certificate, permit or license required by sections 190.100 to 190.245 or any person who has failed to renew or has surrendered his or her certificate, permit or license for failure to comply with the provisions of sections 190.100 to 190.245 or any lawful regulations promulgated by the department to implement such sections. Those regulations shall be limited to the following:

(1) Use or unlawful possession of any controlled substance, as defined in chapter 195 , or alcoholic beverage to an extent that such use impairs a person's ability to perform the work of any activity licensed or regulated by sections 190.100 to 190.245 ;

(2) Being finally adjudicated and found guilty, or having entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, in a criminal prosecution under the laws of any state or of the United States, for any offense reasonably related to the qualifications, functions or duties of any activity licensed or regulated pursuant to sections 190.100 to 190.245 , for any offense an essential element of which is fraud, dishonesty or an act of violence, or for any offense involving moral turpitude, whether or not sentence is imposed;

(3) Use of fraud, deception, misrepresentation or bribery in securing any certificate, permit or license issued pursuant to sections 190.100 to 190.245 or in obtaining permission to take any examination given or required pursuant to sections 190.100 to 190.245 ;

(4) Obtaining or attempting to obtain any fee, charge, tuition or other compensation by fraud, deception or misrepresentation;

(5) Incompetency, misconduct, gross negligence, fraud, misrepresentation or dishonesty in the performance of the functions or duties of any activity licensed or regulated by sections 190.100 to 190.245 ;

(6) Violation of, or assisting or enabling any person to violate, any provision of sections 190.100 to 190.245 , or of any lawful rule or regulation adopted by the department pursuant to sections 190.100 to 190.245 ;

(7) Impersonation of any person holding a certificate, permit or license or allowing any person to use his or her certificate, permit, license or diploma from any school;

(8) Disciplinary action against the holder of a license or other right to practice any activity regulated by sections 190.100 to 190.245 granted by another state, territory, federal agency or country upon grounds for which revocation or suspension is authorized in this state;

(9) For an individual being finally adjudged insane or incompetent by a court of competent jurisdiction;

(10) Assisting or enabling any person to practice or offer to practice any activity licensed or regulated by sections 190.100 to 190.245 who is not licensed and currently eligible to practice pursuant to sections 190.100 to 190.245 ;

(11) Issuance of a certificate, permit or license based upon a material mistake of fact;

(12) Violation of any professional trust, confidence, or legally protected privacy rights of a patient by means of an unauthorized or unlawful disclosure;

(13) Use of any advertisement or solicitation which is false, misleading or deceptive to the general public or persons to whom the advertisement or solicitation is primarily directed;

(14) Violation of the drug laws or rules and regulations of this state, any other state or the federal government;

(15) Refusal of any applicant or licensee to respond to reasonable department of health and senior services' requests for necessary information to process an application or to determine license status or license eligibility;

(16) Any conduct or practice which is or might be harmful or dangerous to the mental or physical health or safety of a patient or the public;

(17) Repeated acts of negligence or recklessness in the performance of the functions or duties of any activity licensed or regulated by sections 190.100 to 190.245 .

3. If the department conducts investigations, the department, prior to interviewing a licensee who is the subject of the investigation, shall explain to the licensee that he or she has the right to:

(1) Consult legal counsel or have legal counsel present;

(2) Have anyone present whom he or she deems to be necessary or desirable; and

(3) Refuse to answer any question or refuse to provide or sign any written statement.

The assertion of any right listed in this subsection shall not be deemed by the department to be a failure to cooperate with any department investigation.

4. After the filing of such complaint, the proceedings shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of chapter 621 . Upon a finding by the administrative hearing commission that the grounds, provided in subsection 2 of this section, for disciplinary action are met, the department may, singly or in combination, censure or place the person named in the complaint on probation on such terms and conditions as the department deems appropriate for a period not to exceed five years, or may suspend, for a period not to exceed three years, or revoke the license, certificate or permit. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the department shall be authorized to impose a suspension or revocation as a disciplinary action only if it first files the requisite complaint with the administrative hearing commission. The administrative hearing commission shall hear all relevant evidence on remediation activities of the licensee and shall make a recommendation to the department of health and senior services as to licensure disposition based on such evidence.

5. An individual whose license has been revoked shall wait one year from the date of revocation to apply for relicensure. Relicensure shall be at the discretion of the department after compliance with all the requirements of sections 190.100 to 190.245 relative to the licensing of an applicant for the first time. Any individual whose license has been revoked twice within a ten-year period shall not be eligible for relicensure.

6. The department may notify the proper licensing authority of any other state in which the person whose license was suspended or revoked was also licensed of the suspension or revocation.

7. Any person, organization, association or corporation who reports or provides information to the department pursuant to the provisions of sections 190.100 to 190.245 and who does so in good faith shall not be subject to an action for civil damages as a result thereof.

8. The department of health and senior services may suspend any certificate, permit or license required pursuant to sections 190.100 to 190.245 simultaneously with the filing of the complaint with the administrative hearing commission as set forth in subsection 2 of this section, if the department finds that there is an imminent threat to the public health. The notice of suspension shall include the basis of the suspension and notice of the right to appeal such suspension. The licensee may appeal the decision to suspend the license, certificate or permit to the department. The appeal shall be filed within ten days from the date of the filing of the complaint. A hearing shall be conducted by the department within ten days from the date the appeal is filed. The suspension shall continue in effect until the conclusion of the proceedings, including review thereof, unless sooner withdrawn by the department, dissolved by a court of competent jurisdiction or stayed by the administrative hearing commission.

(L. 1973 S.B. 57 § 14, A.L. 1978 S.B. 661, A.L. 1998 S.B. 743, A.L. 2002 S.B. 1107, A.L. 2016 S.B. 732, A.L. 2018 H.B. 1355 merged with S.B. 870)