Utah Med Law

When you go to a doctor and he tells you that you need an operation how do you go about checking out the doctor.  Until recently checking out your doctor was difficult if not impossible.  There has been a growing public groundswell however make doctors more forthcoming.  I recently wrote about transparency in reporting medical malpractice cases and applaud the recent decisions in Colorado.

As of May 31, 2009 all Colorado physicians must be in compliance with a recent state law, the Michael Skolnik Medical Transparency Act, that requires them to publicly report certain business dealings, malpractice actions, disciplinary matters and crimes in order to practice medicine here. The information is compiled in physician profiles that are listed in a searchable database maintained by the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies.

The whole Michael Skolnik story is reviewed in an article byBrian Newsome in the Gazette out of Colorado Springs telling of a doctor who had been repeatedly sued and repeatedly moved his practice from state to state to continue practicing.

Skolnik said the law is intended to empower consumers and keep physicians on their toes, not to punish doctors. She say the vast majority of physicians are "excellent."

Her concern is the small percentage who are, in her words, "doing harm repeatedly."

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