North Carolina makes med-mal data available
In this time of withdrawing consumer rights regarding avoidable medical mistakes, would requiring disclosure and public dissemination of physician malpractice data be welcome? .jpg)
Currently, in Nevada, there is no such disclosure.
How often do we see physicians who our friends say are "good doctors?" Or when we go to the emergency room we are "referred" to the doctor on rotation? Would it serve the patient's interest to be able research the doctor they are considering? Well that is starting to happen in other states.
The Raleigh News & Observer (12/8, Garloch) reports, "For the first time, consumers can easily check whether North Carolina doctors have settled or lost medical malpractice claims or been convicted of crimes. The N.C. Medical Board announced Monday that it has expanded its Web site to include malpractice settlements or judgments and criminal records for its 35,000 licensed physicians and physician assistants. The expansion comes in response to a law passed by the General Assembly in 2007 that requires the board to publish malpractice payments, misdemeanor and felony convictions, hospital suspensions and discipline by medical boards in other states."
