A bill passed by a California Senate committee this week would require physicians to proactively tell patients if they are on probation before administering care, according to KQED News.
A similar proposal was voted down by the Medical Board of California last November on the basis that requiring physicians to share this information with patients would be a waste of time when the information is available online, according to the report. The California Medical Association also opposes the bill on similar grounds.
Currently, the state makes this information available on its medical board's website and requires physicians to report the disciplinary action to malpractice insurers and hospitals, but they are not necessarily required to tell patients, according to the report.
However, with approximately 600 of 137,000 California physicians on probation, many consumer groups feel patients have a right to easily access this information. A recent survey conducted by Consumer Reports found 82 percent of Americans would want to know if their physician was on probation and why. Through this survey and the "Safe Patient Project," the consumer group has found online resources may be too difficult or time-consuming for patients to navigate when it comes to physician probation information.
The bill still needs two more votes by June 3 to proceed to the General Assembly, according to the report.
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