Board Information
This page is where you will find information on the Board, its members, regulations, policies, and guidelines.
Board Information
Board Members
Martin Crane, M.D. - Chairman
Dr. Crane joined the Board in 2000.
Dr. Crane is Board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology, operates a private
practice in Weymouth and is affiliated with South Shore Hospital. He is a
graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Medical School, trained in general
surgery at the University of Colorado Medical Center and did a residency
in obstetrics/gynecology at Boston Hospital for Women. He also performed
endocrine research at the Royal Karolinska Institute in Sweden. He is a member
of the Board of Directors of the Federation of State Medical Boards and holds
the rank of Commander in the Medical Reserves of the United States Navy.
Dr. Crane chairs the Data Repository Committee.
Randy
Ellen Wertheimer, M.D. - Secretary
Dr. Wertheimer joined the Board in 2002.
Dr. Wertheimer is a Family Medicine physician. She is a graduate of Swarthmore
College and Boston University School of Medicine, and has been an active clinician
/ teacher for the past 25 years. Dr. Wertheimer is past President of the Massachusetts
Academy of Family Physicians, and is known for her community advocacy to improve
health care for underinsured and uninsured citizens of Massachusetts, and her
passion for community oriented primary care. She was a recipient of a Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation grant to develop physician driven initiatives to care
for the uninsured in Central Massachusetts and currently serves on the Blue Cross
Blue Shield Foundation Board. She is the Chair of the Department of Family Medicine
at Cambridge Health Alliance, and on the faculty of Harvard Medical School. Dr.
Wertheimer serves on the Board’s Complaint Committee.
Guy
Fish, M.D. - Physician Member
Dr. Fish joined the Board in 2003.
Dr. Fish is a graduate of Harvard College, the Yale University School of Medicine,
and the Yale School of Management. Dr. Fish did his internship and residency
at MetroHealth, a Case Western Medical School affiliated public hospital, and
is ABIM certified in Internal Medicine. A former solo-practitioner and ER physician,
he is a Vice President at Fletcher Spaght Inc., Boston, a specialized consultancy
focused on health care technologies and innovation, with personal interests in
health care policy, biotechnology and finance issues. Research projects completed
include The Economic Rationale for Cultural Competency in Medicine;
and Magnitude Estimates of Fraud, Waste, and Abuse in U.S. Healthcare.
He serves as the Chairman of the Board’s Licensing Committee.
John
B. Herman, M.D. - Physician Member
Dr. Herman joined the Board in 2003.
Dr. Herman is Director of Clinical Services in the Department of Psychiatry
at MGH. He is also Medical Director for Partners HealthCare Employee Assistance
Program. Dr. Herman is Board-certified in psychiatry and neurology, and is a
Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. A graduate of the
University of Wisconsin Medical School, Dr. Herman served his medical internship
at Brown University Medical School and his residency in psychiatry at MGH. He
has been on staff at the MGH Psychopharmacology and Addiction Clinics since 1984,
where he directed the department’s continuing education program and was
Director of Psychiatry Residency Training. He is co-editor of the MGH Guide
to Psychiatry in Primary Care and MGH Psychiatry Update and Board Preparation.
Dr. Herman is past president of the American Association of Directors of Psychiatry
Residence Training. He chairs the Board’s Patient Care Assessment Committee.
Peter
Glenn Paige, M.D., Physician Member
Dr. Paige was appointed to the Board in 2006.
He is a Board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician, and a graduate of SUNY
Health Science Center Medical School in Syracuse, NY. Dr. Paige completed his
residency at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester. He
is Vice-Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine and Clinical Assistant
Professor at UMass Memorial Medical Center. He is very active in the community
and was named Volunteer of the Year by the American Heart Association, Northeast
Affiliate, for his hard work as Chairman of the Worcester Heart Ball. He is also
Chairman of the Children’s Injury Prevention and Pediatric Trauma fundraiser.
Nancy
Achin Audesse - Executive Director
Nancy Achin Audesse, Executive Director of the Board of Registration
in Medicine, has been a tireless advocate for patients' rights in Massachusetts
and throughout the country.
As a teenager, she overcame a battle with Hodgkin's Disease, a lymphatic cancer,
to graduate from Harvard University. After a successful business career, Nancy
Achin Audesse turned to public service. She worked to meet the needs of inner-city
children as the Executive Director of the Lowell Girls Club and was active in
numerous civic and cultural activities in her hometown of Lowell, Massachusetts.
Nancy Achin Audesse, Executive Director of the Board of Registration in Medicine,
has been a tireless advocate for patients' rights in Massachusetts and throughout
the country.
As a teenager, she overcame a battle with Hodgkin's Disease, a lymphatic cancer,
to graduate from Harvard University. After a successful business career, Nancy
Achin Audesse turned to public service. She worked to meet the needs of inner-city
children as the Executive Director of the Lowell Girls Club and was active in
numerous civic and cultural activities in her hometown of Lowell, Massachusetts.
This sense of public service led her to run, successfully, for the Massachusetts
State Senate in 1990. As a Senator, she responded to many health care issues
affecting the people of Massachusetts. She sponsored or co-sponsored legislation
to improve the quality of mammography services in Massachusetts, to fund the
state Breast Cancer Initiative, and to require insurance coverage for certain
categories of cancer treatments.
She has also been active in citizen lobbying efforts to improve health care on
the federal level. Senator Audesse's legislative career was cut short when she
was diagnosed with breast cancer and was too ill to seek re-election.
As a private citizen, Nancy Achin Audesse used her knowledge of the legislative
initiatives and passion for public service to mobilize community groups and individuals
to become involved in changes in health care policy and funding.
Despite a recurrence of her breast cancer, Nancy Achin Audesse accepted the challenge
of developing breast cancer Education & Outreach programs for the Massachusetts
Department of Public Health while undergoing rigorous cancer treatment. At the
same time, she was the statewide Crusade Chair for the American Cancer Society
and chaired its "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer" walk to awareness
and funds for breast cancer research.
She has spoken to hundreds of community groups throughout the country on the
importance of patient empowerment and has contributed to many publications on
health care issues. In 1994, she was honored by Turner Broadcasting Systems as
one of five outstanding women in America for her contributions to women's health.
She was also the first recipient of the Audesse Award, named in her honor by
the Massachusetts Society of Clinical Oncologists, which recognizes the contributions
of non-physicians in the fight against cancer.
In 1996, she led the successful effort to implement the Board of Registration
in Medicine's Physicians Profiles program, a first-in-the-nation effort to give
patients more information about their health care providers.
Nancy Achin Audesse dedicates her work on behalf of patients to two courageous
women; her beloved aunt, Elaine Pyne, and Nancy's younger sister, Elizabeth Achin.
They died within three days of each other in 1996 after long battles with cancer.
Photo Credit - Robert Ruscansky www.ruscansky-photography.com.
Board Information
Board Meeting Schedule
Board Meeting Schedule, 2008 
Board Meeting Schedule, 2007
Board Meeting Schedule, 2006
Board Meeting Schedule, 2005
Board Meeting Schedule, 2004
Board Meeting Schedule, 2003
Board Information
Board Regulations
Regulations
Reg (243 CMR): Board of Registration in Medicine Regulations
Proposed Regulations
Board of Registration in Medicine Proposed Regulations as of February 20, 2008
Summary of Proposed Regulations
The Board of Registration in Medicine (BORIM) is proposing certain revisions to its current regulations. On February 20, 2008, the Board voted to approve an updated draft of the proposed regulations. A link to the 2008 Proposed Regulations, and a summary thereof, are available at the links above.
Public Hearing & Comment Period
Two Public Hearings on the proposed regulations were held on April 18 & 25, 2008. The period of Public Comment ran from March 19 to May 5, 2008. The Board thanks those individuals and organizations who participated in this process through written comment and/or testimony.
Below are links to the transcript of the hearings and the written comments received by the Board:
Comments Received
April 22, 2008 - Testimony and Comments
May 5, 2008 - Testimony and Comments
Any questions should be directed to Eileen A. Prebensen, Esq., Senior Policy Counsel, Board of Registration in Medicine, 560 Harrison Ave. Boston, MA 02118; or Eileen.Prebensen@state.ma.us.
Board Information
Board Guidelines
Guideline
Guideline for the Use of Controlled Substances for the Treatment of Pain
December 15, 2004
Endorsed Guideline
Massachusetts Medical Society's Office-Based Surgery Guidelines. Endorsed by the Board of Medicine
December 18, 2000; September 2004 
Guideline
Procedures for Violation of Probation Agreement
June 9, 1993
Guideline
AIDS Guidelines
June 1988
Guideline
Guideline for
Fines
May 20, 1987
Guideline
Guideline for Approving Individualized Training Programs for Refugee Applicants Under 243-CMR 2.03(2)(A)(II)
July 9, 1986
Board Information
Standing Orders
No. 91-1: Interlocutory Appeals
Adopted November 6, 1991, SUPERCEDING Standing Order No. 1988-1
No. 88-1: Requirement for Filing Leave to File Full Board Interlocutory Appeals or Motions in Cases Pending Before Hearing Officers
Adopted February 2, 1988; SUPERCEDED by Standing Order No. 91-01
Board Information
Board Policies
Policy 05-02: Voluntary Agreements Not to Practice Medicine
November 16, 2005
Policy 05-01: Policy on Sale of Goods from Physicians' Offices
July 20, 2005
Policy 03-06: Policy on Internet Prescribing
December 17, 2003
Policy 03-05: Policy on Keepsake Fetal Videos
December 17, 2003
Policy 03-04: Policy on Confirmation of Identity in Connection with Name Changes
November 12, 2003
Policy 03-03: Policy on Lapsed License Applications
November 12, 2003
Policy 03-02: Policy on Deadline for Submission of Materials to the Board
April 16, 2003
Policy 03-01: Policy for Review of Statutory and Regulatory Reports
April 2, 2003
Policy 01-02: Student Loan Defaulters
June 13, 2001
Policy 01-01: Disruptive Physician Behavior
June 13, 2001
Policy 98-02: Policy on Release of Physician Addresses
November 20, 1998
Policy 98-01: Notification of Board Action to Employers, Affiliations and Other
Health Care Institutions
Adopted June 24, 1998;
Amended September 16, 1998
Policy 97-01: Limited Licensure for International Medical School Graduates
May 7, 1997
Policy 95-01: Certain Requests Relating to Probation Agreements
December 27, 1995
Policy 94-05: CME Credit for Specialty Board Certification and Re-certification,
Medical Examiner and Board Volunteer Activities
October 12, 1994
Policy 94-04: Patient Care Assessment Guidelines for Intravenous Conscious
Sedation
May 11, 1994
Policy 94-03: Licensees Who Fail to Respond to Board Inquiries
Adopted February 9, 1994; Amended March 14, 2001; RESCINDED February 15, 2006
Policy 94-02: Physician Health and Compliance Program
January 26, 1994
Policy 94-01: General Guidelines Related to the Maintenance of Boundaries in
the Practice of Psychotherapy by Physicians (Adult Patients)
January 12, 1994
Policy 93-01: Applicants for Temporary Licensure; Visiting Short-Term Faculty
January 27, 1993
Policy 93-001: (Rescinded) Staleness Doctrine -
RESCINDED March 6, 1996
October 13, 1993
Policy 92-01: Issuance of Press Releases on Final Disciplinary Actions
Adopted July 22, 1992; Amended December 2, 1992; Amended November 20, 1996
Policy 91-04: Delegation to Staff of Authority to Approve Certain Designated
Agency Requests
December 18, 1991
Policy 91-03: Board Procedure Regarding Request
for Waiver of 243 CMR 2.03(1)(b) - Limited Licensure
Policy 91-02: Physician Assistant/Supervising Physician Approval Process
Adopted May 22, 1991; RESCINDED October 15, 2003
Policy 91-01: Board Procedure Regarding Request
for Waiver of 243 CMR 2.03(1)(b) - Full Licensure
January 9, 1991
Policy 89-01: Prescribing Practices Policy and Guidelines
Adopted August 1, 1989; Amended December 12, 2001
Policy 88-01: Chemically Dependant Physician Policy
June 15, 1988
Policy 85-01: Policy Statement Regarding Waiver Requests from Foreign Medical
School Licensure Applicants
December 11, 1985
Board Information
Committee on Acupuncture (COA)
COA Policy 07-01: Conflict of Interest Policy
(January 24, 2007)
COA Policy 03-02: Policy on Confirmation of Identity in Connection with Name
Changes
COA Policy 03-01: Policy on Lapsed License Applications
COA Policy 01-02: Personal Relationship Once Treatment has Ended
COA Policy 01-01: Termination of Patient Care
COA Policy 00-02: Advertising as a Master
COA Policy 99-02: Herbal Education Requirement
COA Policy 99-01: English Language Licensure Examination
COA Policy 93-01: Committee on Acupuncture Policy Statement- Code of Ethical
Behavior and Checklist
(July 15, 1993)
Board Information
Patient Care Assessment Committee (PCAC)
PCAC Policy 06-01: Patient Care Assessment Committee
Conflict of Interest Policy (July 26, 2006)
Board Information
Data Repository Committee (DRC)
DRC Policy 07-01: Conflict of Interest Policy
(January 24, 2007)
DRC Policy 03-01: Procedures for Review of Mandated Reports
(December 3, 2003)
Profiles Bulletin 1 Disputing Profile Information
(May 21, 1997)
Profiles Bulletin 2 Superceded by Profiles Bulletin 3
Profiles Bulletin 3 Publishing Criminal Convictions
(January 20, 1999)
Board Information
Licensing Committee (LC)
LC Policy 07-01: Conflict of Interest Policy
(January 24, 2007)
Board Information
Complaint Committee (CC)
CC Policy 07-01: Conflict of Interest Policy
(January 24, 2007)
