Newspaper Investigation Spotlights Physician Sexual Misconduct

fiercehealthcare
by Matt Kuhrt |
Jul 6, 2016 10:44am



An investigation by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution found more than 2,400 doctors who have been sanctioned for sexual misconduct involving patients since 1999. The paper also suggests the actual number of violations was likely much higher.

The report joins recent efforts by the Safe Patient Project and a recent Public Citizen report published by PLOS One aimed at shedding light on a “culture of secrecy” and a tendency among state medical boards to fail to discipline physicians, even after they were sanctioned by hospitals or other healthcare organizations, according to previous reporting by FiercePracticeManagement. The Atlanta newspaper's investigation, which began with the Georgia Composite Medical Board, looked at public records from all 50 states, which means its numbers cannot account for violations that either did not reach state regulators’ attention or those in which the boards failed to discipline a physician.

The newspaper notes that while the majority of the 900,000 licensed doctors in the country do not sexually abuse their patients, the actual number of cases remains unknown for a number of reasons:

Much of the time, organizations or individuals simply fail to report sexual misconduct, according to the newspaper article. In some cases, medical authorities have historically relied on doctors to self-report, in others, hospitals or practices fail to do so, or neglect to conduct due diligenceduring the hiring process.

According to the investigation, parts of the healthcare industry’s reporting system are purposely opaque. Medical boards sometimes deal with cases via private letters of concern or confidential agreements that never lead to formal sanctions, for example. Doctors also have opportunities to avoid public sanctions by entering into “impaired physician” programs or similar confidential recovery processes, says the newspaper.

Even where records exist, regulators from most states told the newspaper they could not provide details on why doctors received sanctions, forcing investigators to rely on public orders, which are sometimes too vague to identify their cause, or, in some states, not publicly available at all

- read the article
Read more on
Ethics, Patient Safety, Georgia Composite Medical Board

Thank You Mr Kuhrt and FH.

Psychiatrist Who Treated Adam Lanza Charged With Sexually Assaulting Patient

Hospital Screw-ups Now 3rd Leading Cause of Death In US, "Why Docs Don't Snitch When Colleagues Make Mistakes"

fiercehealthcare has;

Silent Treatment: Why Docs Don't Snitch When Colleagues Make Mistakes
November 11, 2013 | By Ilene MacDonald


A new report in the New England Journal of Medicine may shed light on some of the reasons hospital medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the nation: Doctors won't tell patients when other clinicians make medical mistakes.

Although there is guidance on how a physician who commits the error should disclose the information to the patient and family members, there are no such guidelines for doctors who discover a colleague's mistake.

Lack of first-hand knowledge about the case, litigation concerns and fear of how a colleague--especially someone who has a higher position or seniority--reacts, are just some physician barriers, according to the report, "Talking with Patients about Other Clinicians' Errors."

Lead researcher Thomas H. Gallagher, M.D., an internist and professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, told ProPublica that physicians experience a range of emotions when they discover a colleague's error. They may wonder whether they should keep the information to themselves or tell someone, think about what they would want a colleague to do if the situation was reversed or worry about the repercussions if they disclose the error. The result, he said in the article, is leniency toward mistakes.

The NEJM report suggests that despite physicians' worry they may damage their relationship with colleagues, they must remember the patient has a right to know and it's their ethical responsibility to share the information.

"When faced with a potential error involving another health care worker, our conceptions of professionalism should lead us to turn toward, rather than away from, involved colleagues," the researchers concluded. "Although making the effort to understand what happened and ensure appropriate communication with the patient may challenge traditional norms of collegial behavior and involve additional demands on clinicians' time, transparent disclosure of errors is a shared professional responsibility."

Meanwhile, a separate study published in Circulation suggests that there is some truth to the "July effect"--the higher likelihood of patient death when medical students leave the classroom and enter patients' rooms in teaching hospitals.

Researchers at Harvard Medical School, Stanford University Hospitals, University of Southern California and the RAND Corporation, found that in July, the risk of death for high-risk patients who came to teaching hospitals after suffering heart attacks rose from 20 percent to 25 percent. In addition, the difference between patient outcomes in May and July is greatest within organizations that have the highest percentage of trainees.
"The good news for patients is that in most cases, it's very difficult for a physician to make a mistake that results in a patient's death, lead author Anupam Jena, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of healthcare policy and medicine at Harvard Medical School and an assistant physician and professor in the department of medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, said in a the study announcement. "But for severely ill patients, health can be very tenuous. A small error or a very slight delay in care is potentially devastating." 

For more:
- read the NEJM report
- here's the ProPublica piece
- check out the Circulation study abstract
- read the study announcement

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Hospital medical errors now the third leading cause of death in the U.S.
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Should hospitals punish docs for medical errors?
Thousands of docs continue to practice despite misconduct, danger
How to reduce the malpractice threat of ACOs
Hospitals have had it with misbehaving docs
Diagnostic errors: Most costly, common malpractice claim


Thank You Fierce Healthcare and Ms McDonald.

see also;

U.S.C. 18C4 Misprision of Felony

and of related interest;

Arizona Medical Board Nabs Another Drunk Doctor

 Study: 15% Of Surgeons Abuse Alcohol

and the Psych Connection;

http://behavenet.com/search?keys=alcohol


If they're drunk - Two Drinks - just once, . . . EVER, by their own Psychiatric Co-Workers Diagnostic Frippery, they're Incurably, Legally, Insane.

pic cred to phoenixnewtimes