The Incompetent Doctor, And How to protect Yourself

Two nurses who lost their hospital jobs and endured criminal prosecution after reporting a physician to the Texas healing Board over outpatient protection concerns will receive 5,000 each in a settlement of a federal lawsuit they had filed against their former employer, the physician, and other parties [Lowes, 2010].

Every physician in California has a recurring bad dream of seeing their name on the monthly "discipline" list of the California healing board, the regulator of doctors in the state. The record includes a brief record of the offense, and the punishment. Of the 30 or so actions reported, about 90% are related to alcohol or drugs, commonly resulting in probation and rehabilitation. A few offenses are related to fraud, with the remaining punishments due to incompetence, commonly so egregious as to be frightening.

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In reality, these problems are the tip of an iceberg. For every action taken, who knows how many are not reported, or don't rise to the level of discipline? Some consequent in malpractice suits, but these rarely consequent in physician suspension or retraining.

The record quoted above illustrates how difficult it can be to record and discipline even one bad physician. Two nurses risked their careers by complaining about what appears to be clear incompetence. That physician used his friendship and influence with the hospital administrator and local officials to both avoid the charges and to get the nurses fired from their jobs.

Although the nurses at last prevailed in court, the physician has remained in practice, although he under investigation.

How can society in general, and your house in particular, make sure your physician is doing a good job?

Physician groups and hospital staffs do a much great job policing themselves than state healing boards. In large groups, physicians have broad ethical, financial, and legal incentives to monitor, value and improve the care they are giving. Excluding the impaired or incompetent physician makes very good sense.

One of the few beneficial aspects of Obamacare is that it contains financial incentives to force physicians to form groups, which will be far more sufficient than bureaucracies and communicate boards in enhancing quality.

In the meantime, you can probably safe yourself and your house by using doctors who are affiliated with larger groups and larger hospitals. Although there are exceptions, it is far less likely an impaired or incompetent physician will be practicing with others. Counter-intuitive as it might seem, avoiding the local "Marcus Welby" practitioner may be the key to insuring good care. Nurses in Texas Whistleblower Case determine for 0,000.

Reference:

Robert Lowes, "Nurses in Texas Whistleblower Case determine for 0,000," Medscape healing News, August 12, 2010.

The Incompetent Doctor, And How to protect Yourself

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