He said the legislation was supported by groups representing doctors, insurance companies and the business community. The law passed the General Assembly unanimously. If it's out there on a Web page, then anybody has access to it, and they don't have to jump through a whole lot of hoops. In the past, the only way to find out disciplinary information was to contact the Board of Medicine. But most people are reluctant to do that, he said.
People have a right to know.
The board concluded that the allegations against him were unfounded and exonerated him. When the details are added in July, visitors to the site will be able to find out he was cleared. Mike Jurgenson, director of health policy for the Medical Society of Virginia, said his organization supports the increased disclosure. Jurgenson noted that there will be a place on the Web site for doctors' responses. He doesn't believe a patient will necessarily dump or refuse to visit a physician with a disciplinary history.