About the Board of Medicine

Office hours for the Iowa Board of Medicine are Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The office of the board are closed on state holidays. 

Board Overview

The 21st General Assembly created the State Board of Medical Examiners in 1886 to license physicians and regulate the practice of medicine. Initially, the board issued licenses to several classes of physicians, including medical (M.D.), homeopaths, and eclectics. The board did not issue licenses for osteopath physicians until 1902. In 1921, the 39th General Assembly created a separate board to license and regulate osteopathic physicians. In 1963, the 60th General Assembly abolished the osteopathic board and redefined the State Board of Medical Examiners, making it a composite board for licensure of medical physicians (M.D.s) and osteopathic physicians (D.O.s). In 2007 the 81st General Assembly changed the board’s name to the Board of Medicine.

Since 1994, the board has licensed and regulated acupuncturists. Since 2019, the board has licensed and regulated genetic counselors.

In 1996, the legislature authorized the board to establish the Iowa Physician Health Committee, which administers a program for monitoring the recovery and/or rehabilitation of impaired physicians.

Board Members

Board members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Iowa Senate. Board members who are appointed serve for a three-year term beginning May 1.  Those who are appointed to complete an unexpired term begin serving at the time of the appointment. Board members may serve up to three terms, no more than nine years in total.

If you would like to serve on the board, please contact the governor’s staff member in charge of appointments at 515-281-0215 or visit the Talent Bank website where you can also see a list of our current Board members.

Alternate Board Members

The board may have alternate members, including members licensed to practice medicine in Iowa and public members, to substitute for regular board members who are disqualified or become unavailable for any other reason for contested case hearings. 

An alternate member is deemed a member of the board only for the hearing panel for which the alternate member serves. The board may recommend, subject to approval by the governor,  individuals to serve in a pool of alternate members. The length of time an alternate member may serve shall not exceed nine years.

For more information about the responsibilities of an alternate board member, see Iowa Code chapter 148.2.

Board Responsibilities

The board safeguards the public health, safety and welfare by:

• Licensing qualified physicians, acupuncturists and genetic counselors;
• Investigating complaints against physicians, acupuncturists and genetic counselors, establishing peer review committees, taking corrective action, and monitoring those under board order;
• Operating a program for physicians, acupuncturists and genetic counselors with an impairment;
• Defining the scope of medical, acupuncture and genetic counseling practices;
• Working cooperatively with certain other organizations, e.g., Board of Physician Assistants, Board of Pharmacy; and
• Operating within specified limitations, e.g., public meetings law, public records law, and the waiver and variance law.

Board Meetings and Structure

The focus of board meetings is policy making and decision making about licensure and discipline.  Teleconferences are held between regularly scheduled board meetings to discuss timely matters and issues.

Board meetings are open to the public except for portions of meetings that address agenda items required to remain confidential pursuant Iowa Code section 22. Meeting agendas are posted on DIAL Public Meeting Calendar approximately one (1) week before the scheduled meeting date. Agendas are subject to change and may be posted no later than 24 hours before the scheduled start time of a meeting.

Board Committees & Memberships

Four standing committees comprised of board members are used to facilitate the board’s routine work at meetings. 

Executive Committee

The board’s elected officers and other appointed members serve on the Executive Committee. The committee guides and supervises the board’s executive director, reviews the budget and makes recommendations to the board regarding administrative rules, legislative proposals, and other policy positions. 

Licensure Committee

The Licensure Committee reviews and makes recommendations to the board action on applications for licensure.  The committee may interview applicants and review matters related to licensure examination.

Monitoring Committee

The Monitoring Committee oversees the monitoring of physicians and acupuncturists with board disciplinary orders and recommends action, when appropriate, to the board.

Screening Committee

The Screening Committee reviews recommendations from staff regarding complaints to determine if the case should be closed or further investigated. The committee forwards its recommendations to the board.

Peer Review

The board may establish a peer review committee comprised of one or more physicians to evaluate the professional services rendered by an M.D. or D.O., who is under investigation.  Likewise, the board may establish such a committee of licensed acupuncturists if the professional services of a licensed acupuncturist are being investigated.

A professional who is interested in serving as a peer reviewer may contact the board's director, at (515) 281-7088.

Board Memberships

• Administrators in Medicine
• Federation of State Medical Boards
• Federation of State Physician Health Programs 
• Interstate Medical Licensure Compact 

Public Information Updates

Contact Information