Physician Discipline by State Medical Boards: A Nationwide Assessment
Posted: 8 May 2008
Abstract
This paper descriptively assesses the discipline of physicians by state medical boards, drawing on an extensive nationwide database of sanctions delivered during the period 1994-2002. We identify the frequency and severity of disciplinary actions, the offenses leading to actions, and the degree to which physicians disciplined in the past and subsequently sanctioned again in the future. The most significant finding is that there is a very high degree of recidivism among sanctioned physicians. This suggests that sanctions are targeting low quality physicians but that further effort put toward rehabilitating sanctioned physicians may be warranted.
Keywords: physician discipline, state medical boards
JEL Classification: I18, K23
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation