Medical Malpractice

Did you know that just 1% of all doctors were responsible for 32% of all medical malpractice claims during the past decade?  According to the New England Journal of Medicine recently those are the numbers yet very little is being done to hold those responsible accountable.  Why?  Maybe because the national database called the National Practitioner Data Bank doesn't list doctors by name to protect their privacy, they're assigned a number.  It seems that Colorado is one of the very few states where medical malpractice is a matter of public record.

Why doesn't the medical profession take the responsibility to revoke the licenses of bad doctors?  Don't they realize that by protecting the 1% that are bad they're casting a shadow on the 99% of doctors who do a good job?  Letting a bad doctor simply move from one state to another and start practicing again harms patients. 

It's time for voters to start demanding that their elected officials begin making state licensing boards become more vigilant in protecting voters, not the doctors that send them money.

If you want to learn more I understand that Dr. Lawrence B. Schlachter has a new book coming out soon called "Malpractice:  A Board-Certified Neurosurgeon Reveals How The American Health Care System Fails To Protect Patient Safety and Investigate Negligence."