Oregon Board Rules and Administrative Procedures
What the exam tests
This domain covers how the Oregon Board of Physical Therapy operates: rulemaking, licensing, complaints, investigations, contested-case hearings, and public records. Questions often test the difference between Board authority and civil remedies.
Core rules
- The Board administers ORS 688 and adopts rules in OAR 848 under Oregon’s Administrative Procedures Act.
- The Board licenses PTs and PTAs, renews licenses, sets fees, and may impose discipline.
- A complaint triggers Board review; the Board may investigate, request records, subpoena witnesses, and offer settlement.
- If contested, the licensee receives notice and an opportunity for a hearing; the Board issues a proposed order, then a final order.
- Board discipline is regulatory, not damages: it can suspend, revoke, place on probation, reprimand, fine, or require CE, but it does not award money to an injured patient.
- Board meetings and final orders are generally public; investigative information may remain confidential until formal action.
Worked example
A patient complains that a PT billed for unattended electrical stimulation. The Board opens an investigation and asks for the treatment record. The PT ignores the letter. The Board may issue a default or proceed without the PT’s response, and the failure to cooperate can become a separate violation. The PT should respond in writing, preserve records, and seek legal advice if discipline is proposed.
Traps
Missing Board deadlines; ignoring a subpoena; assuming a private settlement ends the Board case; confusing criminal, civil, and licensing outcomes; thinking the Board can order a refund as discipline.