Preventive Medicine: “Do a Checkup on Your Doctor”

Medical Malpractice in California

There used to be a feature in Readers Digest called “Laughter is the Best Medicine” with clever jokes and cartoons. It was always a nice way to pass time while you waited in the lobby of your doctor’s office for an appointment.

Common sense tells us that the best medicine is preventive medicine. Take care of yourself, don’t smoke, eat right, exercise, and you stand a much better chance of not having health issues.

Another angle on preventative medicine might be to do a check up on your doctor, and use available information to choose one with an excellent reputation and no history of lawsuits or disciplinary action.

Years ago people most often selected a doctor based on word-of-mouth recommendations, as online reviews hadn’t been invented. If a doctor was negligent or had patient complaints it was difficult to access that information.

According to Wikipedia: The first medical law recorded was the Code of Hammurabi, which said; “If a physician makes a large incision with the operating knife, and kills him…. his hands shall be cut off.”

That seems barbaric indeed, and so today there are better methods for monitoring physicians and disciplining those who make mistakes.

In California, the California Medical Board maintains a website – click here – which includes the following information:

• If a physician has been disciplined or formally accused of wrongdoing by the Board.
• If a physician’s practice has been temporarily restricted or suspended pursuant to a court order.
• If a physician has been disciplined by a medical board of another state or federal government agency.
• If a physician has been convicted of a felony reported to the Board after January 3, 1991.
• If a physician has been convicted of a misdemeanor after January 1, 2007 that results in a disciplinary action or an accusation being filed by the Board, and the accusation is not subsequently withdrawn or dismissed.
• If a physician has been issued a citation for a minor violation of the law by the Board within the last five years. This is not considered disciplinary action.
• If a physician has been issued a public letter of reprimand at time of licensure. This is not considered disciplinary action.
• Any hospital disciplinary actions that resulted in the termination or revocation of the physician’s privileges to provide health care services at a health care facility for a medical disciplinary cause or reason reported to the Board after January 1, 1995. (Note: hospital disciplinary actions are not removed unless the privileges are subsequently restored.)
• Malpractice judgments and arbitration awards reported to the Board.
• Malpractice settlements over $30,000 that meet the following criteria:
• Four or more in a 10-year period if the physician practices in a high-risk specialty (obstetrics, orthopedic surgery, plastic surgery and neurological surgery)
• Three or more in a 10-year period if the physician practices in a low-risk specialty (all other specialties)

 

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