Administrative Judges Define 'Conviction' for Purpose of Suspending Providers

If a defendant has pleaded guilty to a crime but has not yet been sentenced, is that a conviction? Two doctors who were suspended from treating California workers' compensation applicants argue that it is not, but administrative law judges with the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board ruled that a guilty plea is a conviction for the purposes of suspending medical providers. Because treating injured workers is not a fundamental right, the judges concluded that court decisions holding that conviction means the entry of a final judgment or imposition of a sentence are not releva...