6.0 of this article can be downloaded to your hard drive. Consumers learning more about you States release data on background, disciplinary action Consumers are demanding to know more about the physicians who are caring for them, including adverse information such as hospital disciplinary actions or malpractice claims, and many states are considering providing the information. Last year, Massachusetts passed legislation making it the first state to offer to the public information on physicians' education, training, board certifications, hospital affiliations and participating insurance plans, as well as disciplinary actions by hospitals, state medical boards and malpractice data.
Consumers can obtain the information by mail, telephone and on the Internet.
This year, legislation relating to physician profiles was introduced in 14 states including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, New Hampshire, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas and Vermont. Florida is the only state that has passed physician profile legislation, but bills were pending in New Hampshire, Tennessee and Texas at the time of publication of this article. This spring the Board of Physician Quality Assurance in Maryland, the state medical licensing board, announced plans to offer physician profiles, including malpractice data, despite the fact that legislation did not pass the Maryland legislature this year. The Medical and Chirurgical Faculty of Maryland, the state medical society, opposed this implementation without approval from the legislature. The Maryland medical society has indicated that it does support publication of other data to assist patients in choosing a physician.