(a) Each health occupations board shall adopt specific sanctioning guidelines, including: (1) A range of sanctions that is based on historical data or a normative process for each type of violation; and (2) A list of mitigating and aggravating circumstances that may be used to decide if a sanction falls within or outside the established range of sanctions. (b) Sanctioning guidelines adopted under this section shall: (1) Conform to a general framework or incorporate a common set of elements; and (2) Be used as a guide for sanctioning licensees and certificate holders in formal and informal proceedings. (c) (1) To the extent a health occupations board departs from the sanctioning guidelines adopted under this section, the board shall state its reasons. (2) A departure from the guidelines alone is not grounds for any hearing or appeal of any board action.
Maryland Legal Code