More doctors disciplined as states bolster medical boards

Backlogs in some states are being cleared as a result of procedural changes.

By Damon Adams, AMNews staff. April 26, 2004.

It used to take 1½ years to resolve a complaint filed against a Florida physician. Now it takes less than 100 days.

Fueling the Florida Board of Medicine's quicker case turnaround is a refined complaint process, 50 new employees and outside consultants handling complaints. Thanks largely to the changes since 1998, the board, which regulates MDs only, increased disciplinary actions by 30% from 2002 to 2003.

"It was a combination of processes, legislation and all those things that came together," said board executive director Larry McPherson Jr. "It finally all clicked in one year. Ultimately, this all pays off in patient safety."

Florida's increase contributed to a national boost in disciplinary actions, which rose 10% from 2002 to 2003 -- the largest one-year jump in a decade.

Are there more bad doctors, or are changes instituted by medical boards working?

Physician leaders point to the changes.

They say a key reason why disciplinary numbers have increased is that state medical boards have improved how they process complaints, regulate doctors and conduct business. That translates into a rise in license suspensions, revocations and other restrictions against doctors. Reforms in Texas as well as Florida have helped those state boards clear backlogged cases and run more efficiently.

"What it means is the [Florida] board is doing a better job of regulating medical practice. It doesn't mean that Florida has many more bad doctors," said Lisette Mariner, Florida Medical Assn. spokeswoman.