The Arizona Medical Board has been operating in a matter that puts public safety at risk, according to a new audit.
A sunset review released earlier this week by the Arizona Auditor General found the board is failing to resolve complaints in a timely manner, establish sufficient oversight and accountability mechanisms, and act within or fully exercise its statutory authority.
Statute requires the board consist of 12 governor-appointed members to serve five-year terms. However, as of their latest meeting on Wednesday, the board had nine of its 12 required positions filled, one more than what the audit noted back in February of this year.
The auditor general warned that these failings outlined in this latest audit present an increased risk to public safety and contribute to inefficient and ineffective operations, statutory noncompliance, unauthorized disciplinary actions, and waste of public resources.
According to the audit, 78% of complaints closed in fiscal year 2024 weren’t resolved within 180 days as required; some complaints took up to 4.5 years to resolve. Additionally, the board failed to consistently use its authority and enforcement options when resolving complaints.
There were 1,069 complaints opened up in fiscal year 2024, and 1,095 complaints opened up in fiscal year 2025.
The nature of these complaints concern allegations that a licensee may be medically incompetent, guilty of unprofessional conduct, or mentally or physically unable to safely engage in the practice of medicine.
Some of the complaints that were resolved past the statutorily required time frame included allegations of a licensee sexually harassing staff, inappropriately performing surgical procedures, inappropriately prescribing controlled substances, and failing to query the Controlled Substances Prescription Monitoring Program as required.
One complaint that took more than three years to resolve concerned a licensee allegedly failing to obtain consent from a patient prior to conducting a medically unnecessary procedure. Nine months later, the board received a second complaint alleging the same licensee operated without informing a patient with a recent infection at the surgical site of the risks and failed to provide adequate post-operative care, treatment, and communication. The board then received two additional complaints for the licensee during those three years to resolve the initial complaint. Although the board substantiated the allegations per the audit, the board allowed the licensee to continue practicing for more than three years.
The audit noted that the board has historically failed to investigate and resolve complaints in a timely manner. Five prior audits spanning 43 years have raised that same finding, without sufficient resolution.
The audit also found that the board and its executive directors regularly delegated key responsibilities to staff but didn’t establish oversight and accountability mechanisms necessary to preserve operations, public resources, and statutory and policy compliance.
Although the board wasn’t timely on complaint resolutions, the audit did find that the board was issuing and renewing licenses, registrations, and permits in a timely manner.
As of February, there were more than 35,000 active licensees and registrations.
The auditor general recommended the board implement complaint-handling policies and procedures inclusive of mechanisms for tracking, monitoring, identifying, and resolving delays. Additionally, the audit recommended improving staff productivity and performance standards, and establishing accountability measures to ensure the alignment with those standards.
And the auditor general recommended stricter alignment with statutory processes for taking disciplinary actions, along with training for board members on their full statutory authority and enforcement options.
The auditor general’s office contracted with Walker & Armstrong, an independent CPA firm, to conduct the audit.
Raquel Rivera, the board’s executive director, issued a response agreeing to all of the audit’s findings and recommendations. A follow-up will occur in six months, also conducted by Walker & Armstrong.
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Arizona House Republican leaders are demanding answers after learning that the Chief Medical Officer of the state’s Medicaid program, AHCCCS, has been serving with an expired medical license.
According to records from the Arizona Medical Board, Dr. Theresa Costales, a psychiatrist appointed as Chief Medical Officer in January 2025, failed to renew her license, which was due April 9. The statutory grace period ended on August 9, leaving the license fully expired. Despite this, Dr. Costales continues to advise on state health policies that impact more than 2 million Arizonans.
House Speaker Steve Montenegro called the lapse “a failure of oversight” by Governor Katie Hobbs’ administration. “A lapse like this should never happen in a healthcare agency responsible for millions of people,” he said. “The public deserves accountability when even the most basic standards aren’t met.”
House Majority Leader Michael Carbone echoed the concern, noting that license verification is a simple process. “Any citizen can look this up in minutes. That it slipped through the cracks at the highest level of medical leadership is completely unacceptable.”
House Majority Whip Julie Willoughby, who is also a healthcare professional, questioned whether key policy decisions were made without proper credentials in place. “You cannot have a Chief Medical Officer without an active license—it’s that simple,” she said. She raised particular concern about the recent rollout of the controversial Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) assessment tool, asking whether decisions tied to the program were made under expired authority.
Republican leaders also pointed to other state agencies, such as the Department of Corrections, that explicitly require valid medical licenses for their top medical positions. They argue AHCCCS should be held to the same standard, given its role in overseeing care for vulnerable populations.
Speaker Pro Tempore Neal Carter said the situation undermines public confidence. “Governor Hobbs’ administration has failed once again to ensure competence and accountability in state government. This isn’t a small oversight—it undermines trust in one of Arizona’s largest healthcare agencies.”
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
An alleged altercation with pro-life advocates in June has led to renewed concerns regarding Dr. Ronald Yunis, a Phoenix physician who pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, a class six felony, after being charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in 2019.
Civic action group Red State Reform stated that the “alleged pattern of violence raises public safety concerns.”
Sharing a video of the June altercation, documentation of the prior firearm incident, and Medical Board findings, the group raised questions about the doctor’s accountability and presented the alleged pattern of behavior:
“Dr. Ronald Yunis, a local physician, was recently captured on video allegedly assaulting a peaceful protester on June 3, 2025. Despite eyewitness testimony and clear video evidence showing what appears to be an unprovoked physical assault—which under Arizona law (A.R.S. § 13-1203) could constitute probable cause for arrest—and notwithstanding his prior conviction involving a firearm, the Phoenix Police Department did not place him under arrest at the scene.
“Instead, officers issued only a citation requiring him to appear in court. The Phoenix City Prosecutor’s Office has since declined to pursue even misdemeanor assault charges, and the case was dismissed without prejudice, meaning it could still be re-filed.”
Phoenix abortionist Ronald Yunis punched a peaceful sidewalk counselor this week. Targeting a Christian who was lawfully pleading for life and sharing the gospel outside his abortion mill. A police investigation is underway! pic.twitter.com/z69xSaETy8
A witness to the incident, James Baird of P24 Ministries, said in a statement, “No one should be above the law — especially when patient and community safety are at stake.”
The organization added that “while there was an allegation that the victim may have trespassed, there is no justification under Arizona law for the use of physical force without imminent threat or danger. Both the video and eyewitness testimony corroborate that the protester neither threatened nor committed any violence against Dr. Yunis.”
In the 2019 incident, Yunis was captured on body-worn camera footage by a pro-life protester visibly pointing a gun at them from his vehicle. In a similar circumstance to the June incident, the Phoenix Police Department initially declined to arrest Yunis.
Red State Reform noted that “it was only after the video footage was posted online and sparked numerous public complaints that an arrest was made seven days later, resulting in Dr. Yunis pleading guilty to disorderly conduct, a class 6 felony.”
WATCH: 2019 Incident
Yunis was later stripped of his Medicare billing privileges until 2031 after he allegedly failed to report the felony conviction as required by law and served two years of probation.
According to Health and Human Services documentation, the Doctor claimed, “his criminal attorney assured him that conviction pursuant to the plea agreement would not be considered a felony because it was an undesignated offense and would not be reported to any regulatory body.”
Red State Reform observed, “The Administrative Law Judge found that Dr. Yunis failed to report his felony as required by federal law, exhibited reckless disregard for those around him, and demonstrated an inability to exercise sound judgment. As a result, Dr. Yunis was barred from reenrolling in Medicare through 2031, underscoring serious concerns about his professional conduct and reliability.”
In October 2023, Dr. Yunis was brought before the Arizona Medical Board in a response to the 2019 incident as well as other complaints, including “multiple reports of unprofessional interactions between Respondent and nursing staff occurring between 2018 and 2019,” and “review of Respondent’s care and treatment of five obstetrical patients (MR, CB, BL, GCU, and KB) identified by the Hospital’s investigation.“
The Board found as “Conclusions of Law,” that “the conduct and circumstances described in MD-19-1001A and MD-20-0925A above constitute unprofessional conduct pursuant to A.R.S. § 32-1401(27)(r) (‘Committing any conduct or practice that is or might be harmful or dangerous to the health of the patient or the public.’)”
An appeal by Dr. Yunis was denied by the Board two months later.
In a statement, Red State Reform Vice President Daryl Groves summarized his concerns regarding the non-prosecution of Dr. Yunis for the alleged June altercation, saying, “The public deserves to know that everyone is held to the same standard under the law.”
On May 10, Governor Doug Ducey signed SB 12 71 into law, increasing the long term supply of fully licensed physicians. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Nancy Barto, passed both chambers with bipartisan support.
The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons applauded Ducey and Barto for their work on SB 1271, which they say “puts in place commonsense reforms that benefit benefit patient care facilities, medical graduates, and patients in Arizona in both the short and long term.”
SB 1271 directs the Arizona Medical Board (AMB) and the Arizona Board of Osteopathic Examiners in Medicine and Surgery (ABOE) to grant a one-year transitional training permit (transitional training permit) to qualified applicants.
The bill also establishes training permittee eligibility, qualifications, permitted duties and supervision requirements.
Physician say the new law offers expanded options for those who unmatched graduates, who currently have no opportunities to train or serve. For facilities, say the physicians, SB 1271 increases the pool of “high caliber individuals available to serve under supervision.”
The physicians believe the reforms also benefit residency programs as they strengthen the skills of future applicants.
