Specific demographic and educational factors are associated with board certification of physicians. These include race and education debt, according to a study published in the September 7 issue of JAMA.
Certification by an American Board of Medical Specialties member board is an important credential, and it is becoming increasingly common. Previous studies have shown better outcomes in patients who are in the care of board-certified physicians, and health maintenance organizations, hospitals, and insurance plans use board certification as an evaluation tool for physicians.
Donna B. Jeffe, PhD, and Dorothy A. Andriole, MD, both from Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, investigated how demographic, medical school, and graduate medical education were associated with American Board of Medical Specialties board certification. They conducted a retrospective study of a national cohort of 42,440 medical students who graduated from US medical schools between 1997 and 2000. Participants were followed up through March 2, 2009.
Of the participants, 37,054 (87.3%) were board certified. The researchers found that board certification was associated with first-attempt passing scores in the highest percentile (compared with those who failed on the first attempt) on US Medical Licensing Examination Step 2 Clinical Knowledge. This trend held true in all physician categories. The lowest adjusted odds ratio (AOR) was found in emergency medicine (87.4% vs 73.6%; AOR, 1.82; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03 - 3.20). The highest was found for radiology (98.1% vs 74.9%; AOR, 13.19; 95% CI, 5.55 - 31.32).
Participants who self-identified as underrepresented racial/ethnic minorities had a lower likelihood of being board-certified — a trend that held for every physician category except family medicine. The percentage in pediatrics was 83.5% (vs 95.6% of whites; AOR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.33 - 0.58). In other nongeneralist specialties, the percentage was 71.5% (vs 83.7% in whites; AOR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.64 - 0.96).
Increased debt also had an effect. Among obstetrics/gynecology specialists, every $50,000 stepped increase in debt was associated with a lower likelihood of board certification (AOR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.83 - 0.96) compared with those who had no debt. The reverse was true among family medicine specialists (ie, family practitioners with higher educational debt were more likely to be board certified; AOR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.01 - 1.26).
The authors noted that the observational nature of the study makes it impossible to assign causal associations, and longer follow-up times may increase the rates of board certification. The results also cannot be applied to osteopathic physicians or students at international medical schools.
"Nevertheless, our findings can inform an understanding of factors contributing to US medical school graduates' advancement along the medical education continuum to board certification, an outcome of interest for medical school graduates, their patients, and the relevant professional organizations involved in undergraduate medical education, [graduate medical education], and board certification," the authors write.
The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health National Institute of General Medical Sciences. The authors received travel funds from the National Institutes of Health for meeting attendance. One author received an honorarium and travel reimbursement from the University of Cincinnati supporting a lecture on MD-PhD programs and their graduates.
JAMA. 2011;306:961-970.
Jim Kling, September 6, 2011
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/749172?sssdmh=dm1.716474&src=nldne
Friday, September 9, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Alert: NIMS Guideline for the Credentialing of Personnel
The purpose of this NIMS Alert is to announce the availability of the NIMS Guideline for the Credentialing of Personnel.
The NIMS Guideline for the Credentialing of Personnel (Guideline) is now final and available for use. The Guideline provides guidance on credentialing for Federal, State, Tribal and Local Personnel, as well as for persons affiliated with Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources, voluntary and not-for-profit response organizations. This Guideline was developed with the participation of stakeholders from key sectors of our society, and builds on the doctrine established in NIMS Guide 0002 NATIONAL CREDENTIALING DEFINITION AND CRITERIA dated March 27, 2007. The Guideline addresses the full range of responders who may be called upon and need to establish their legitimacy through proof of Identity, Qualification/Affiliation and Authorization to deploy.
The Guideline and the NIMS Guide 0002 can be found at the NIMS Resource Center at the following URLs:
The Guideline - http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/ResourceMngmnt.shtm#item3
The NIMS Guide 0002 - http://www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/nims/ng_0002.pdf
For more information on NIMS visit: www.fema.gov/emergency/nims
All questions can be directed to the NIC via e-mail: FEMA-NIMS@dhs.gov or via telephone: 202.646.3850.
• NIMS Alert 02-11 Guidelines for the Credentialing of Personnel.pdf
The NIMS Guideline for the Credentialing of Personnel (Guideline) is now final and available for use. The Guideline provides guidance on credentialing for Federal, State, Tribal and Local Personnel, as well as for persons affiliated with Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources, voluntary and not-for-profit response organizations. This Guideline was developed with the participation of stakeholders from key sectors of our society, and builds on the doctrine established in NIMS Guide 0002 NATIONAL CREDENTIALING DEFINITION AND CRITERIA dated March 27, 2007. The Guideline addresses the full range of responders who may be called upon and need to establish their legitimacy through proof of Identity, Qualification/Affiliation and Authorization to deploy.
The Guideline and the NIMS Guide 0002 can be found at the NIMS Resource Center at the following URLs:
The Guideline - http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/ResourceMngmnt.shtm#item3
The NIMS Guide 0002 - http://www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/nims/ng_0002.pdf
For more information on NIMS visit: www.fema.gov/emergency/nims
All questions can be directed to the NIC via e-mail: FEMA-NIMS@dhs.gov or via telephone: 202.646.3850.
• NIMS Alert 02-11 Guidelines for the Credentialing of Personnel.pdf
Friday, September 2, 2011
IDFPR: State Revokes Licenses of Health Care Workers Convicted of Sex Crimes or Crimes against Patients
CHICAGO – Earlier today, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) revoked the licenses of 11 health care workers who have been convicted of sex offenses or violent crimes against their patients. These revocations are required by a new law signed by Governor Quinn last month. HB 1271 (Public Act 97-0156) provides that the professional license of any health care worker who has been convicted of a sex offense or of a violent crime against their patients is permanently revoked without a hearing and further provides that sex offenders cannot be licensed as health care workers in Illinois.
“The State takes its responsibilities to protect our residents seriously,” said Brent E. Adams, Secretary of Financial and Professional Regulation. “This new law establishes tough outcomes that are intended to shield Illinois patients from health care workers who have been convicted of sex offenses and certain violent crimes.”
While many health care workers are covered by the new law, regulations will be proposed to specifically list all the types of health care workers that are covered by the law. The law also lists most of the crimes requiring permanent revocation, but regulations will be proposed to make clear all the crimes that trigger permanent revocation. These proposed regulations will be filed later this year.
Each health care worker whose license was revoked today appears below, along with the city at which he/she was licensed, and the crime that triggered the permanent revocation.
“The State takes its responsibilities to protect our residents seriously,” said Brent E. Adams, Secretary of Financial and Professional Regulation. “This new law establishes tough outcomes that are intended to shield Illinois patients from health care workers who have been convicted of sex offenses and certain violent crimes.”
While many health care workers are covered by the new law, regulations will be proposed to specifically list all the types of health care workers that are covered by the law. The law also lists most of the crimes requiring permanent revocation, but regulations will be proposed to make clear all the crimes that trigger permanent revocation. These proposed regulations will be filed later this year.
Each health care worker whose license was revoked today appears below, along with the city at which he/she was licensed, and the crime that triggered the permanent revocation.
For Missouri Members: Upcoming Change in State Law
DIFP: New state law allows consumers to learn more about their physicians
Also gives state regulators more tools against dangerous doctors
Jefferson City, Mo. - Under a new state law, Missouri consumers can now learn more about the educational history of their doctors. House Bill 265, signed by Gov. Jay Nixon, took effect yesterday and allows the State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts to release extensive information about licensed doctors for the first time. The board's website now allows consumers to learn about medical and professional schools attended by physicians, as well as any specialties or board certifications.
In addition, more information will soon be available to the public: Under the law, any future information submitted to the board may be released if it pertains to discipline by another government agency or court-ordered limitations on a doctor's practice.
"This law is a significant step toward better transparency for patients in Missouri," said John M. Huff, director of the Missouri Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions and Professional Registration. "We always encourage consumers to learn as much as they can about the professionals they're doing business with, and that's especially important in a doctor-patient relationship."
House Bill 265 also gives more authority to the board to discipline doctors who violate the law. The board can now:
More effectively seek an immediate suspension of a physician's license when the board believes the doctor is a danger to patients;
Streamline the process for discipline of doctors;
Move cases more quickly through the state Administrative Hearing Commission, which conducts hearings related to the discipline of doctors; and
Discipline doctors for alcohol dependency, being on a sex offender registry or failing to cooperate with board investigations.
Consumers who would like to learn more about their physicians can use the licensee search feature on the board's website at pr.mo.gov, or they can contact the board by phone at 573-751-0098.
About the Missouri Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions & Professional Registration
The Missouri Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions and Professional Registration (DIFP) is responsible for consumer protection through the regulation of financial industries and professionals. The department's seven divisions work to enforce state regulations both efficiently and effectively while encouraging a competitive environment for industries and professions to ensure consumers have access to quality products.
August 29, 2011
Also gives state regulators more tools against dangerous doctors
Jefferson City, Mo. - Under a new state law, Missouri consumers can now learn more about the educational history of their doctors. House Bill 265, signed by Gov. Jay Nixon, took effect yesterday and allows the State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts to release extensive information about licensed doctors for the first time. The board's website now allows consumers to learn about medical and professional schools attended by physicians, as well as any specialties or board certifications.
In addition, more information will soon be available to the public: Under the law, any future information submitted to the board may be released if it pertains to discipline by another government agency or court-ordered limitations on a doctor's practice.
"This law is a significant step toward better transparency for patients in Missouri," said John M. Huff, director of the Missouri Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions and Professional Registration. "We always encourage consumers to learn as much as they can about the professionals they're doing business with, and that's especially important in a doctor-patient relationship."
House Bill 265 also gives more authority to the board to discipline doctors who violate the law. The board can now:
More effectively seek an immediate suspension of a physician's license when the board believes the doctor is a danger to patients;
Streamline the process for discipline of doctors;
Move cases more quickly through the state Administrative Hearing Commission, which conducts hearings related to the discipline of doctors; and
Discipline doctors for alcohol dependency, being on a sex offender registry or failing to cooperate with board investigations.
Consumers who would like to learn more about their physicians can use the licensee search feature on the board's website at pr.mo.gov, or they can contact the board by phone at 573-751-0098.
About the Missouri Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions & Professional Registration
The Missouri Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions and Professional Registration (DIFP) is responsible for consumer protection through the regulation of financial industries and professionals. The department's seven divisions work to enforce state regulations both efficiently and effectively while encouraging a competitive environment for industries and professions to ensure consumers have access to quality products.
August 29, 2011
Thursday, September 1, 2011
H&HN: Mobile Apps That Bring Patients to Your Door
Mobile medical applications may get all the attention, but apps that effectively market your hospital to patients may be equally important
The explosion of mobile applications has been one of the biggest health IT stories of 2011, and with good reason: Mobile apps can offer hospitals and doctors portable versions of medical devices and instant access to stores of medical research. And at a time when cost pressures are forcing providers to envision a care delivery process that can serve patients with fewer inpatient interactions, mobile apps also offer a way to reach those ends.
Lately, though, I've been coming across an increasing number of examples of how hospitals are harnessing the power of mobile applications beyond the clinical setting as a way to connect with potential patients and offer them real-time, valuable information on where to go for their care in a pinch.
For instance, Baptist Health in South Florida now offers patients real-time information on wait times for physicians at its urgent care centers and emergency rooms. For its efforts, Baptist Health received a 2011 Most Wired Innovator Award, and my colleague, H&HN Senior Editor for Data and Research, Suzanna Hoppszallern, recently talked to Baptist Health's Petter Melau, the project lead for the mobile app initiative. Melau said the service has been extremely popular; within two days of the app launching, 1,000 users signed up. Melau added that the application also has helped users clarify the difference between services offered by Baptist Health's urgent care facilities and its emergency rooms, a critical distinction in an era of overcrowded EDs.
And industry momentum for mobile apps is definitely quickening. Earlier this week, Carolinas Health System, a 30-hospital system based in Charlotte announced the rollout of a new, free mobile app that allows patients to find locations, check wait times or even search for physicians via their location and specialty.
Beyond the advantages these types of mobile apps offer patients, many IT experts are convinced that if current usage trends continue, it won't be long before smart phones will supplant web-based browsers as the chief access point for online information. For H&HN Daily, for instance, roughly 20 percent of our daily readers access the publication via their phone and not a traditional browser. And on a personal level, I'm a huge fan of the mobile sites in Chicago that allow me to check train and bus times on the go. In other words, in a few years time patients will view mobile apps with real-time information not as an added amenity but as an expected service.
By Haydn Bush August 31, 2011
The explosion of mobile applications has been one of the biggest health IT stories of 2011, and with good reason: Mobile apps can offer hospitals and doctors portable versions of medical devices and instant access to stores of medical research. And at a time when cost pressures are forcing providers to envision a care delivery process that can serve patients with fewer inpatient interactions, mobile apps also offer a way to reach those ends.
Lately, though, I've been coming across an increasing number of examples of how hospitals are harnessing the power of mobile applications beyond the clinical setting as a way to connect with potential patients and offer them real-time, valuable information on where to go for their care in a pinch.
For instance, Baptist Health in South Florida now offers patients real-time information on wait times for physicians at its urgent care centers and emergency rooms. For its efforts, Baptist Health received a 2011 Most Wired Innovator Award, and my colleague, H&HN Senior Editor for Data and Research, Suzanna Hoppszallern, recently talked to Baptist Health's Petter Melau, the project lead for the mobile app initiative. Melau said the service has been extremely popular; within two days of the app launching, 1,000 users signed up. Melau added that the application also has helped users clarify the difference between services offered by Baptist Health's urgent care facilities and its emergency rooms, a critical distinction in an era of overcrowded EDs.
And industry momentum for mobile apps is definitely quickening. Earlier this week, Carolinas Health System, a 30-hospital system based in Charlotte announced the rollout of a new, free mobile app that allows patients to find locations, check wait times or even search for physicians via their location and specialty.
Beyond the advantages these types of mobile apps offer patients, many IT experts are convinced that if current usage trends continue, it won't be long before smart phones will supplant web-based browsers as the chief access point for online information. For H&HN Daily, for instance, roughly 20 percent of our daily readers access the publication via their phone and not a traditional browser. And on a personal level, I'm a huge fan of the mobile sites in Chicago that allow me to check train and bus times on the go. In other words, in a few years time patients will view mobile apps with real-time information not as an added amenity but as an expected service.
By Haydn Bush August 31, 2011
Medscape Medical News: Hospitals Begin to Reopen in the Aftermath of Irene
Woes Left in Hurricane's Wake Are Enormous
East Coast hospitals that had evacuated their patients before Hurricane Irene struck during the weekend have begun to admit them again as diminished winds continue to blow northward in the form of Tropical Storm Irene.
In New York City, for example, Staten Island University Hospital reopened its doors last night, as did Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, New Jersey. However, nobody has given the all-clear sign just yet. St. Clare's Hospital in Sussex, New Jersey, is discharging or transferring 14 patients today because of a malfunctioning emergency generator, said a hospital spokesperson.
Although Irene has been downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm, the woes it left behind are enormous. An estimated 4.2 million homes and businesses along the Eastern seaboard lacked power as of Sunday night. Meanwhile, storm-swollen rivers continue to flood inland cities and threaten to contaminate drinking water.
Irene has been a troublemaker with a wide reach. A healthcare research company called Stratasan estimated through computer mapping technology that more than 60 million people, 135,000 physicians, and 459 hospitals lay within the storm's path.
Well Prepared
Irene did not wreak the havoc that Hurricane Katrina did in 2005, but nevertheless it caused the deaths of at least 16 individuals in 6 states, according to news accounts.
At the same time, storm-battered hospitals continued to usher in new lives. Seventeen babies were born during the weekend at New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, North Carolina, said Stephanie Strickland, a spokesperson for the North Carolina Hospital Association.
Similar to other facilities up and down the seaboard that suffered power outages, New Hanover Regional kept its monitors and lights on thanks to an emergency generator.
Good preparation translated into good patient care during the weekend, said Donna Leusner, a spokesperson for the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services.
"Two weeks before the storm, coastal hospitals, the Department of Health and Senior Services, and county Offices of Emergency Management completed a hurricane exercise that really ensured that the state's plans were up to date and [that] the issues that we found in training were addressed appropriately," Ms. Leusner told Medscape Medical News.
Coping with the storm also required the best of Hippocratic spirits. Some physicians and nurses spent the weekend at East Coast hospitals, not knowing when they might be relieved.
"Many slept in rooms where their patients were housed," said Ms. Leusner.
'Priceless' Experience
At Kings County Hospital Center in Brooklyn, New York, psychiatric resident Kendra Campell, MD, curled up on a bed in a resident on-call room Saturday night.
"I got 4 or 5 hours of sleep," said Dr. Campbell. "It wasn't bad."
Dr. Campbell worked during the weekend in the psychiatric emergency department, where stressed-out patients came for shelter, medications, and a listening ear. Clinicians kept them occupied with games and art exercises. One of the attending physicians strummed an acoustic guitar to brighten the mood.
"I felt an overwhelming sense of teamwork," said Dr. Campbell.
Dr. Campbell was able to go off-duty at 5 pm on Sunday. She Tweeted her sense of relief: "Hours worked at the hospital: 33. Meals eaten out of paper bags: 3. Showers taken: 1. Walking home post-call and post-hurricane: Priceless."
Robert Lowes
East Coast hospitals that had evacuated their patients before Hurricane Irene struck during the weekend have begun to admit them again as diminished winds continue to blow northward in the form of Tropical Storm Irene.
In New York City, for example, Staten Island University Hospital reopened its doors last night, as did Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, New Jersey. However, nobody has given the all-clear sign just yet. St. Clare's Hospital in Sussex, New Jersey, is discharging or transferring 14 patients today because of a malfunctioning emergency generator, said a hospital spokesperson.
Although Irene has been downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm, the woes it left behind are enormous. An estimated 4.2 million homes and businesses along the Eastern seaboard lacked power as of Sunday night. Meanwhile, storm-swollen rivers continue to flood inland cities and threaten to contaminate drinking water.
Irene has been a troublemaker with a wide reach. A healthcare research company called Stratasan estimated through computer mapping technology that more than 60 million people, 135,000 physicians, and 459 hospitals lay within the storm's path.
Well Prepared
Irene did not wreak the havoc that Hurricane Katrina did in 2005, but nevertheless it caused the deaths of at least 16 individuals in 6 states, according to news accounts.
At the same time, storm-battered hospitals continued to usher in new lives. Seventeen babies were born during the weekend at New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, North Carolina, said Stephanie Strickland, a spokesperson for the North Carolina Hospital Association.
Similar to other facilities up and down the seaboard that suffered power outages, New Hanover Regional kept its monitors and lights on thanks to an emergency generator.
Good preparation translated into good patient care during the weekend, said Donna Leusner, a spokesperson for the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services.
"Two weeks before the storm, coastal hospitals, the Department of Health and Senior Services, and county Offices of Emergency Management completed a hurricane exercise that really ensured that the state's plans were up to date and [that] the issues that we found in training were addressed appropriately," Ms. Leusner told Medscape Medical News.
Coping with the storm also required the best of Hippocratic spirits. Some physicians and nurses spent the weekend at East Coast hospitals, not knowing when they might be relieved.
"Many slept in rooms where their patients were housed," said Ms. Leusner.
'Priceless' Experience
At Kings County Hospital Center in Brooklyn, New York, psychiatric resident Kendra Campell, MD, curled up on a bed in a resident on-call room Saturday night.
"I got 4 or 5 hours of sleep," said Dr. Campbell. "It wasn't bad."
Dr. Campbell worked during the weekend in the psychiatric emergency department, where stressed-out patients came for shelter, medications, and a listening ear. Clinicians kept them occupied with games and art exercises. One of the attending physicians strummed an acoustic guitar to brighten the mood.
"I felt an overwhelming sense of teamwork," said Dr. Campbell.
Dr. Campbell was able to go off-duty at 5 pm on Sunday. She Tweeted her sense of relief: "Hours worked at the hospital: 33. Meals eaten out of paper bags: 3. Showers taken: 1. Walking home post-call and post-hurricane: Priceless."
Robert Lowes
American Medical News: Criminal convictions and discipline of Illinois doctors returning online
Profiles were posted on a website for a few years, but a court required the state to remove the information.
Illinois has rejoined the nation's other 49 states in making physician profiles available to the public in some form.
Disciplinary actions, criminal convictions, medical liability payments going back five years and other information on the state's physicians will be provided online by the Illinois Dept. of Financial and Professional Regulation.
A "key to good health is a great doctor, which is why we are ensuring that all of the important information needed to select a physician is online and available 24 hours a day," Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn said after signing the legislation Aug. 9.
Physician profiles went online as part of the state's 2005 comprehensive medical liability reform. But they were removed from the public eye when the Illinois Supreme Court struck down the liability reform in February 2010 because legislation included caps on noneconomic damages.
Under the new law, physicians will have the right to review the information posted about them and will be able to have inaccurate information corrected. Having the opportunity to review and correct information is a positive thing, said Illinois State Medical Society President Wayne V. Polek, MD, an anesthesiologist.
More than 30 states require background checks at licensure for health professionals. "And we encourage patients to confirm information with a physician," he said.
Dr. Polek said physicians are more comfortable with physician profiles than they were five or 10 years ago. But he said one sticking point is putting medical liability claims in the profiles.
"People are sued for a variety of reasons, and they settle for a variety of reasons. For example, an insurance company or employer says you have to [settle]. That information is not necessarily helpful to patients," Dr. Polek said.
ISMS was neutral on the Patient Right to Know Act because it was a stand-alone measure and not part of more comprehensive legislation to extend the state's Medical Practice Act, Dr. Polek said. The act, which governs the practice of medicine in Illinois, is scheduled for sunset repeal on Nov. 30.
The medical society has supported online physician profiles, including those that were part of the 2005 medical liability reform.
With the new Illinois law, all states now make some type of physician profile information available to the public in some form, said the Federation of State Medical Boards.
"We have come a long way," said FSMB President and CEO Humayun J. Chaudhry, DO. "Back in 1996, no boards had physician profiles. State boards recognize the value of physician profiles. We see Illinois as an example of this continuing trend."
How physician profiles are made public varies among states, Dr. Chaudhry said. But the trend is moving toward states making more information publicly available, he said.
Meanwhile, physicians applying for a new medical license in Indiana must pay for and complete a national criminal background check. Under a law that took effect July 1, doctors also must provide fingerprints. More than 30 states require background checks at licensure for health professionals.
Tanya Albert Henry, Posted Aug. 29, 2011.
Illinois has rejoined the nation's other 49 states in making physician profiles available to the public in some form.
Disciplinary actions, criminal convictions, medical liability payments going back five years and other information on the state's physicians will be provided online by the Illinois Dept. of Financial and Professional Regulation.
A "key to good health is a great doctor, which is why we are ensuring that all of the important information needed to select a physician is online and available 24 hours a day," Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn said after signing the legislation Aug. 9.
Physician profiles went online as part of the state's 2005 comprehensive medical liability reform. But they were removed from the public eye when the Illinois Supreme Court struck down the liability reform in February 2010 because legislation included caps on noneconomic damages.
Under the new law, physicians will have the right to review the information posted about them and will be able to have inaccurate information corrected. Having the opportunity to review and correct information is a positive thing, said Illinois State Medical Society President Wayne V. Polek, MD, an anesthesiologist.
More than 30 states require background checks at licensure for health professionals. "And we encourage patients to confirm information with a physician," he said.
Dr. Polek said physicians are more comfortable with physician profiles than they were five or 10 years ago. But he said one sticking point is putting medical liability claims in the profiles.
"People are sued for a variety of reasons, and they settle for a variety of reasons. For example, an insurance company or employer says you have to [settle]. That information is not necessarily helpful to patients," Dr. Polek said.
ISMS was neutral on the Patient Right to Know Act because it was a stand-alone measure and not part of more comprehensive legislation to extend the state's Medical Practice Act, Dr. Polek said. The act, which governs the practice of medicine in Illinois, is scheduled for sunset repeal on Nov. 30.
The medical society has supported online physician profiles, including those that were part of the 2005 medical liability reform.
With the new Illinois law, all states now make some type of physician profile information available to the public in some form, said the Federation of State Medical Boards.
"We have come a long way," said FSMB President and CEO Humayun J. Chaudhry, DO. "Back in 1996, no boards had physician profiles. State boards recognize the value of physician profiles. We see Illinois as an example of this continuing trend."
How physician profiles are made public varies among states, Dr. Chaudhry said. But the trend is moving toward states making more information publicly available, he said.
Meanwhile, physicians applying for a new medical license in Indiana must pay for and complete a national criminal background check. Under a law that took effect July 1, doctors also must provide fingerprints. More than 30 states require background checks at licensure for health professionals.
Tanya Albert Henry, Posted Aug. 29, 2011.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)