(a) The board has the duty and authority to suspend for a specified time, within the discretion of the board or to revoke any license to practice podiatry or to otherwise discipline any licensee or refuse to grant any certificate of fitness whenever the licensee or applicant is found guilty of any of the following acts or offenses:

(1) Fraud in procuring a license or certificate;

(2) Conviction of a felony, conviction of any offense under state or federal drug laws or conviction of any offense involving moral turpitude;

(3) Habitual intoxication or personal misuse of any drugs;

(4) Immoral, unethical, unprofessional or dishonorable conduct;

(5) Solicitation by agents or persons or profiting by the acts of those representing themselves to be agents of the licensee or the certificate holder;

(6) Division of fees or agreeing to split or divide fees received for professional services with any person for bringing or referring a patient;

(7) Professional connection or association with any person, firm or corporation in any manner in an effort to avoid and circumvent this chapter or lending one's name to another for the illegal practice of podiatry by such person;

(8) Violation or attempted violation, directly or indirectly, or assisting in or abetting the violation of, or conspiring to violate this chapter or any lawful order of the board; issued pursuant thereto, or any criminal statute of this state;

(9) Giving of testimonials, directly or indirectly, concerning the supposed virtue of secret therapeutic agents or proprietary preparations, such as remedies, vaccines or other articles or materials that are offered to the public, claiming radical cure or prevention of disease by their use;

(10) Any other unprofessional or unethical conduct that may be specified by the board from time to time by means of rules and regulations duly published and promulgated by the board or the violation of any provision of this chapter;

(11) Making false statements or representations or being guilty of fraud or deceit in the practice of podiatry;

(12) Invasion of a field of practice in which the licensee is not licensed to practice or is not within the limits of the licensee's respective callings;

(13) Dispensing, prescribing or otherwise distributing any controlled substance or any other drug not in the course of professional practice or not in good faith to relieve pain and suffering, or not to cure an ailment, physical infirmity or disease;

(14) Dispensing, prescribing or otherwise distributing any controlled substance, controlled substance analogue or any other drug to any person in violation of any law of the state or of the United States;

(15) Practicing podiatry under any trade name or a name designating a given location or the name of another podiatrist or any name other than that which appears on the practitioner's license or using any title other than “podiatrist”; provided, that “foot specialist” may be used as an explanatory term of the title “podiatrist” and not alone or as a substitute for the title “podiatrist”;

(16) Willful violation of the rules and regulations that may be promulgated by the board of podiatric medical examiners to regulate advertising by practitioners who are under the jurisdiction of the board;

(17) Making or signing in one's professional capacity any certificate that is known to be false at the time one makes or signs such certificate;

(18) Engaging in the practice of podiatry when mentally or physically unable to safely do so; or

(19) Gross health care liability or a pattern of continued or repeated health care liability, ignorance, negligence or incompetence in the course of the practice of podiatry.

(b) The board of podiatric medical examiners may adopt rules and regulations to regulate the nature, manner, content and extent of advertising by practitioners who are under the jurisdiction of the board. All methods must be allowed such as: newspaper, radio and television.

(c)

(1) For purposes of enforcement of this section, the board shall, upon probable cause, have authority to compel an applicant or licensee to submit to a mental and/or physical examination by a designated committee of at least three (3) practicing physicians, including a psychiatrist where a question of mental condition may be involved.

(2) The applicant or licensee shall have the right to have an independent medical practitioner present during such examination and to have an independent physical or mental examination, the report of which shall be filed with the board for consideration.

(3) The committee will submit a report of its findings to the board, which will then hold a hearing as provided in § 63-3-120.

(d) An action taken under this section shall be subject to the applicable provisions of the Fresh Start Act that are compiled in chapter 1, part 1 of this title.