In many states, you can find a malpractice history on your doctor, but the real issue is how you choose to interpret that information.
Malpractice is an ugly word for both patients and doctors.
For patients, it can mean that a doctor botched a routine surgery, resulting in years of chronic pain. For doctors, it is the fear during every operation that a force beyond their control will result in a negative outcome, prompting an ugly lawsuit and damaging their medical reputation. With consumers' ability to access public records via the Internet, a new controversy has arisen about whether patients should be able to view a doctor's malpractice and disciplinary records. In 1996, Massachusetts became the first state to make doctors' malpractice records and other disciplinary information available to consumers. From the start, this program was extremely popular.