Fifty-five percent of physicians whose privileges were revoked or restricted by their hospitals were not disciplined by their states' medical boards, according to Public Citizen.
Based on information from the National Practitioner Data Bank, 5,887 doctors who had clinical privileges revoked or restricted by hospitals escaped any licensing action by the state, even though 3,218 of them permanently lost their hospital privileges and 389 lost them for more than one year.
Hospitals disciplined 1,119 physicians for incompetence, negligence or malpractice and 605 for substandard care; and 220 physicians were identified as an immediate threat to health or safety. Also, 2,071 were cited for violations such as sexual misconduct; inability to practice safely; fraud including insurance fraud, fraud obtaining a license and fraud against health care programs; and narcotics violations.
Based in its findings, Public Citizen is urging the HHS Office of Inspector General to investigate state medical boards, which it has not done since 1993.
Read the Public Citizen release on physician disciplinary actions.
Read more coverage of physician disciplinary actions:
- Study Examines State Medical Boards' Disciplinary Actions
- Adopting Bylaws That Address Disruptive Physicians: Q & A With Tom Stallings of McGuireWoods
- 5 Recent Settlements by Healthcare Providers
Based on information from the National Practitioner Data Bank, 5,887 doctors who had clinical privileges revoked or restricted by hospitals escaped any licensing action by the state, even though 3,218 of them permanently lost their hospital privileges and 389 lost them for more than one year.
Hospitals disciplined 1,119 physicians for incompetence, negligence or malpractice and 605 for substandard care; and 220 physicians were identified as an immediate threat to health or safety. Also, 2,071 were cited for violations such as sexual misconduct; inability to practice safely; fraud including insurance fraud, fraud obtaining a license and fraud against health care programs; and narcotics violations.
Based in its findings, Public Citizen is urging the HHS Office of Inspector General to investigate state medical boards, which it has not done since 1993.
Read the Public Citizen release on physician disciplinary actions.
Read more coverage of physician disciplinary actions:
- Study Examines State Medical Boards' Disciplinary Actions
- Adopting Bylaws That Address Disruptive Physicians: Q & A With Tom Stallings of McGuireWoods
- 5 Recent Settlements by Healthcare Providers