How to Uncover Malpractice Suits Against Doctors
Contact your state’s medical licensing board., Ask where else the doctor has practiced., Search the Internet., Check other state’s medical boards., Search local medical boards., Search the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB)., Analyze the...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Contact your state’s medical licensing board.
Your doctor must be licensed by the board to practice in your state.
You can find this board by typing “your state” and “medical license board” into your favorite web browser.
At the website, you can typically search by the doctor’s name or location.If your state doesn’t have a website you can search, then contact the licensing board directly.
You can find a list of contact information at the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants website: https://www.nccpa.net/stateboards.
Look to see if the doctor has been disciplined or if complaints have been filed. -
Step 2: Ask where else the doctor has practiced.
Doctors might move around.
But their disciplinary history doesn’t travel with them.For this reason, you should ask the doctor where else they have practiced in the past.
You can ask general questions, such as “How long have you been practicing in Nevada?” or “I saw online that you just moved here.
Where did you practice before?” , A doctor might not be honest.
In fact, a doctor is more willing to lie if they are hiding a history of medical malpractice lawsuits.
In that case, you’ll want to do an Internet search.
Find out if your doctor practiced in another state.
Some doctors might have common names.
There will definitely be more than one Jane Smith and Michael Jones practicing medicine.
You must carefully analyze whether this person is the doctor you are looking for.For example, say you are looking for Jane Smith who practices in Utah.
You see many Jane Smiths who have practiced in California.
Click on their profiles and see if they are the same person. , If you know the doctor practiced in other states, then search those medical licensing boards as well.
If they don’t have online databases, then you might need to call them directly.
Your doctor might have a clean history with your state’s medical board.
By checking the other states, you might find a history of medical malpractice suits. , Some states have county-level medical boards.
These boards don’t license doctors.
However, they do monitor doctors to make sure they follow the American Medical Association’s rules.
They may also collect information about complaints filed against the doctor.You can find a local medical board by searching online.
Some local boards include the Atlanta Medical Association, the Chicago Medical Society, and the Philadelphia County Medical Society.
Look at the association’s website.
If there is no database to search, then contact them directly by phone.
Ask if they have information about malpractice lawsuits filed against doctors. , You can search nationwide for disciplinary actions taken against any doctor by using the FSMB's DocInfo database.You can find the DocInfo database here: http://www.docinfo.org/.
Enter the doctor’s name.
You can also enter a state.
If you want a nationwide search, then select “All states.” On the doctor’s profile page, there will be a place where actions are reported.
There might be gaps in this database, so don't rely solely on it.
Instead, remember to check state and county-level medical boards as well. , Each state board provides different information.
Some might be very detailed.
However, other medical boards might simply report that there is a “Memorandum of Decision” against the doctor.
If the doctor’s license has been suspended, then you can stop looking.A suspension is a sign that the doctor has a bad history.
Perform another Internet search to find out information about each infraction.
Type in the doctor’s name and then “sanction” or “malpractice.” -
Step 3: Search the Internet.
-
Step 4: Check other state’s medical boards.
-
Step 5: Search local medical boards.
-
Step 6: Search the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB).
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Step 7: Analyze the information provided.
Detailed Guide
Your doctor must be licensed by the board to practice in your state.
You can find this board by typing “your state” and “medical license board” into your favorite web browser.
At the website, you can typically search by the doctor’s name or location.If your state doesn’t have a website you can search, then contact the licensing board directly.
You can find a list of contact information at the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants website: https://www.nccpa.net/stateboards.
Look to see if the doctor has been disciplined or if complaints have been filed.
Doctors might move around.
But their disciplinary history doesn’t travel with them.For this reason, you should ask the doctor where else they have practiced in the past.
You can ask general questions, such as “How long have you been practicing in Nevada?” or “I saw online that you just moved here.
Where did you practice before?” , A doctor might not be honest.
In fact, a doctor is more willing to lie if they are hiding a history of medical malpractice lawsuits.
In that case, you’ll want to do an Internet search.
Find out if your doctor practiced in another state.
Some doctors might have common names.
There will definitely be more than one Jane Smith and Michael Jones practicing medicine.
You must carefully analyze whether this person is the doctor you are looking for.For example, say you are looking for Jane Smith who practices in Utah.
You see many Jane Smiths who have practiced in California.
Click on their profiles and see if they are the same person. , If you know the doctor practiced in other states, then search those medical licensing boards as well.
If they don’t have online databases, then you might need to call them directly.
Your doctor might have a clean history with your state’s medical board.
By checking the other states, you might find a history of medical malpractice suits. , Some states have county-level medical boards.
These boards don’t license doctors.
However, they do monitor doctors to make sure they follow the American Medical Association’s rules.
They may also collect information about complaints filed against the doctor.You can find a local medical board by searching online.
Some local boards include the Atlanta Medical Association, the Chicago Medical Society, and the Philadelphia County Medical Society.
Look at the association’s website.
If there is no database to search, then contact them directly by phone.
Ask if they have information about malpractice lawsuits filed against doctors. , You can search nationwide for disciplinary actions taken against any doctor by using the FSMB's DocInfo database.You can find the DocInfo database here: http://www.docinfo.org/.
Enter the doctor’s name.
You can also enter a state.
If you want a nationwide search, then select “All states.” On the doctor’s profile page, there will be a place where actions are reported.
There might be gaps in this database, so don't rely solely on it.
Instead, remember to check state and county-level medical boards as well. , Each state board provides different information.
Some might be very detailed.
However, other medical boards might simply report that there is a “Memorandum of Decision” against the doctor.
If the doctor’s license has been suspended, then you can stop looking.A suspension is a sign that the doctor has a bad history.
Perform another Internet search to find out information about each infraction.
Type in the doctor’s name and then “sanction” or “malpractice.”
About the Author
Christine Myers
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in practical skills and beyond.
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