Monitoring the profession: An interview with FSMB chief James N. Thompson MD

More medical boards are cracking down on sexual misconduct, and they are concerned that some medical school graduates are coming from questionable international schools.

By Damon Adams, AMNews staff. May 8, 2006.

For most doctors, the term "state medical board" probably conjures up images of a physician being disciplined. But medical board officials want doctors to know that the boards also license physicians, promote quality care and protect patients and the profession.

The Texas-based Federation of State Medical Boards is a key player in helping boards meet those goals. The federation advocates on behalf of boards and addresses issues by developing policies that boards can use for guidance.

The federation and its member boards are tackling areas such as sexual boundaries between patients and physicians, scope of practice, physician competence and international medical schools' credibility. AMNews reporter Damon Adams recently talked about these and other matters with James N. Thompson, MD, president and CEO of the federation.

AMNews: What are medical boards doing to be more aggressive in cracking down on sexual misconduct? How is the Federation of State Medical Boards responding to the issue?

Dr. Thompson:We've revised the [FSMB] policy on sexual boundaries, and it focuses a lot on several aspects, one of which is education of physicians. We think it's critical that medical educators inform students and residents of the important role they have in the doctor-patient relationship and that this should not be violated. There are expansions of the last policy that include relationships with family members of patients. There's a focus now about the inappropriate nature of having a sexual relationship with a family member of one of your patients.