The extent to which one board shares information with another still varies widely by state. In many instances discipline is still too slow although the case backlogs in some states have been greatly reduced. Wisconsin sanctioned a number of doctors only after they had already retired from practice. The vast majority of states continue to require reporting of hospital disciplinary actions and malpractice claims or payments to the medical board, but few check whether the required reports have actually been filed. And some still fail to act promptly, if at all, on the information they receive.
Medical boards are much too forgiving.
Instead boards focus on more easily documentable offenses such as prescription violations and fraud convictions or disciplinary action in another state as potential indicators of substandard care. Other instances of incompetence may be overlooked because the investigations soak up resources like a sponge. Legislative attention must be given to requiring states to significantly improve the discipline of physicians in order to prevent future death and injury.