The report looked at physicians practicing while on probation in California for offenses such as drug abuse, sexual conduct as well as fatal and careless mistakes.
Here are five takeaways:
1. One case involved a pediatrician disciplined 13 times for drug use severely impacting his ability to administer care.
2. The report analyzed a different case in which an orthopedic surgeon ignored his patient’s femur fracture, resulting in a leg amputation.
3. Nearly 15 percent of licensed physicians in the United States have paid at least one malpractice settlement.
4. The Safe Patient Project is imploring the Department of Health and Human Services to make the records of such cases public.
5. “The onus shouldn’t be on patients to investigate their physicians,” said Project Director Lisa McGiffert. “Doctors on probation should be required to tell their patients of their status.”
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