Missouri’s system of disciplining doctors gets high marks from a consumer watchdog group in Washington.  But the head of the board that handles those cases says Missouri is not really that good.

The group Public Citizen says Missouri’s system has improved so much that it has jumped from 31st among th estates in physician discipline rates…to sixth.  The ratings cover the years 2004 through 2006.

But the chairman of the State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts says a 2004 law revoking licenses of any Missouri-licensed professionals who had not paid their state income taxes.  Chairman Mark Tucker says a lot of doctors who are licensed here but do not practice here and earn no income here were revoked before the law was changed.  But the statistics make Missouri look good to Public Citizen.

Tucker says Missouri HAS made real improvements.  He says investigative and administrative procedures have been tightened, and more specialists are looking at cases.

Realistically, he says, Missouri should still be in the middle third of these rankings.  :He says Missouri regulators do well, but our license revocations per one-thousand doctors would not normally put our state anywhere close to the top ten.

 

Download Bob Priddy’s story (:62 mp3)