Are you trying to find a plumber, heard about a new beautician or maybe looking for a new dentist or doctor? You probably should really find out as much as possible about this service provider before you make the commitment, don't you think?
Thanks to the state of Indiana, there is an easy way to find out if these providers have any professional/ethical skeletons in their closet by using a bit of thoughtful site navigation and following the search instructions at the IN.gov Web site www.in.gov/ai/appfiles/pla-litigation/
For example, to find if your doctor's past and present conduct meet standards set forth by the Indiana Medical Licensing Board, try this site: www.in.gov/apps/pla/litigation/advancedsearch.aspx When the page opens, you need only to enter your doctor's last name where indicated and select "search."
When I discovered this site, I'll admit I was curious about my doctors. But, without concern, I typed in my family doctor's last name. Immediately I got a "No matching records were found" message (meaning no violations/issues). Next, I typed the last name of a specialist from Fort Wayne who also has an office in Warsaw. Again, a "No matching records were found" message.
Finally, I typed in the last name of a specialist I've been to often; he maintains active offices in both Goshen and Warsaw. This time, the message came back entirely different. My computer screen showed 11 "issues/types" filed against this doctor by the Medical Licensing Board of Indiana. These are orders, petitions, finding of facts, motions and complaints showing: "Medical License revoked" by a neighboring state, "Convicted of filing false Medicare Claims," "Unfit to Practice Due to Professional Incompetence," "Undertaking Activities Not Qualified to Undertake," "Failure to Keep Current of Professional Theory or Practice," "Failure to Exercise Reasonable Care and Diligence in Treatment of Patients," "Failure to Give Truthful, Candid and Reasonably Complete Account of a Patient's Condition," "Prescribing More Invasive, Expensive Operations than Warranted," "Failure to Offer More Conservative Treatments," "Inappropriate Diagnostic Procedure for Prostate Cancer," "Found by Medical Review Panels to have Committed Malpractice 4 times in a 10 year period from 1992 to 2002."
Keep in mind, this doctor is actively practicing in your community - today!
After reading through all this, I did some more research and it appears that the "Medical Licensing Board of Indiana is also charged with the responsibility of disciplining licensees who have violated practice standards, acted dishonestly or acted unethically" and "part of the Attorney General's office job is to file and prosecute violations brought forth by the Medical Licensing Board."
Am I missing something here? Like maybe support and follow through from those that wrote the rules/codes and those who are responsible for their enforcement?
Well, at any rate, I'm glad I found this Web site, perhaps you'll find it helpful in selecting or reviewing your "service providers" future and present.
And, if this is happens to be your doctor, I'll bet you're glad, too.
