Bailey & Greer PLLC

Study Shows That State Medical Boards Have Failed To Punish Negligent Doctors

State medical boards should carefully monitor and discipline negligent doctors. It would be difficult to find anyone, including doctors, to disagree with this statement. Similarly, if a doctor commits malpractice, most people believe that the doctor should face some type of punishment from the state medical board, such as a reprimand, probation, or suspension. Moreover, a doctor who commits insurance fraud, narcotics violations, or routinely commits medical errors, should not be allowed to simply move to a new hospital after being terminated from another.

Despite these undeniable truths, a recent study by the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen found that for the past two decades many state medical boards have failed to punish over half of the negligent doctors whose privileges have been revoked or restricted by hospitals.

I believe that most doctors are competent, compassionate individuals who have the patient's best interest in mind. Nonetheless, doctors are human and even the best doctor is not immune from making a mistake that can cause personal injury or death. It's only fair to hold doctors and insurance companies financially accountable for the harm they cause. This is what we do at Bailey & Greer every day. In addition, state medical boards need to take a stand against doctors who have no business continuing to practice medicine and who present a danger to the public.

The full article from Public Citizen can be found here.