News Briefs: Nation’s capital failing to discipline doctors
On Sept. 4, the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen released new information about physicians who have been disciplined by 10 states and the District of Columbia, but noted the information about Washington, DC, was limited because the board does little to sanction poorly performing doctors.
The database contains the names of doctors who have been sanctioned by various state medical boards over the past decade for offenses ranging from incompetence, prescribing errors, sexual misconduct, to criminal convictions and ethical lapses. Most of the doctors were not required to stop practicing, even temporarily, the report notes.
Although 237 doctors are on the District of Columbia list, the most serious punishment levied against more than 70% of them was a fine. Many were cited for not renewing their medical license — which likely occurred when the medical board forgot to send out renewal notices.
Only one doc sanctioned in DC
In 2000, according to records provided to Public Citizen, the District of Columbia medical board sanctioned only one doctor.
In 2001, the board issued just six orders. In Public Citizen’s annual ranking of state medical boards, the District of Columbia came in last. The best medical board, Arizona’s, seriously disciplined 14 times more doctors per 1,000 than the District.
"The board simply doesn’t do its job, which is to oversee doctors and protect the public from bad ones," said Sidney Wolfe, MD, director of Public Citizen’s Health Research Group.
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