1. Provide the title of your story or series and the names of the journalists involved.
"License Checkup: Examine your health care providers' credentials before they examine you" by Michael Schroeder. Editors: Kristy Broering, Sue Wiltz.
2. List date(s) this work was published or aired.
May 1, 2010.
3. Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
More than 200 health care professions require licensure, which ensures that medical providers possess a minimum standard of training and education. However, one in 50 providers are practicing without one. The majority of Angie's List members — 91 percent — who took our online poll say it's crucial their providers be licensed, yet half never check. Those who practice without a license either never had one, had it suspended or revoked or allowed it to lapse. While the latter is most common, consumer experts recommend not taking a health care provider's word. Instead, they suggest patients verify licensing through a state agency, such as a medical board. Consumers also need to check on providers' disciplinary actions. One report reveals two-thirds of doctors who made 10 or more malpractice payments between 1990 and 2005 faced no serious consequences, such as losing their license. Others just went to another state to practice. Walt LaGraves, for one, is glad he verified details about his wife's physician. His search revealed her doctor was a convicted sex offender with a revoked license who spent time in prison.
4. Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
In total, we spent approximately two months making countless calls trying to retrieve basic information. We found doctors who practiced without a license by reviewing court records and checking state medical boards' record of disciplinary actions against providers. We also went to each state's department of health or licensing agency to verify which health professionals are required to be licensed, tracking the information on a spreadsheet for internal use and future health licensing stories. State lists were often incomplete, if there was a state list at all. We also went through reports from Medversant and Public Citizen's Health Research Group, along with documents provided from several states attorney general offices and medical boards.
5. Explain types of human sources used.
As noted above, not all state licensing information can be found in one central location. As Catherine Dower, director of research for the Center for the Health Professions at University of California San Francisco, points out: "Lack of standard, national licensure is a problem." In order to obtain the information necessary for us to feel knowledgeable about medical licensing, we made it a point to talk with various agencies in each state. That was in addition to interviewing more than 30 sources, including consumers, health care professionals, state attorneys general, departments of health, medical boards, and consumer watchdog groups. As Public Citizen noted, just checking licensing isn't a guarantee your provider is safe. A doctor could be facing seven malpractice suits and still hold a license. "You get a tiny fraction that are disciplined, which understates the problem," says Sidney Wolfe, Public Citizen director.
6. Results (if any).
Dr. Lawrence Rothstein, the Ohio surgeon who allegedly botched a number of spinal procedures, has been named in at least 11 more malpractice lawsuits since our story published in May, and two other malpractice cases were reopened. However, the State Medical Board of Ohio has not taken additional disciplinary action against the doctor and his license is currently active.
7. Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
We have not run any corrections or clarifications, and no one has challenged the story's accuracy.
8. Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
Be prepared for a surprising number of state health officials to have no knowledge about which health care professionals are required to be licensed. Often, they'd tell us we had to call individual boards in that state, a time-consuming process. Also, it's a good idea to go beyond simple licensing checks. Many "problem doctors" have licenses in good standing. Meanwhile, the malpractice lawsuits against them pile up, and patients run the risk they could be receiving substandard care.