Washington Post Series Examines Physician Discipline

The Washington Post on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday published a three-part series on issues related to physician discipline. The first part of the series examined physicians with substance abuse problems. The second part examined physician discipline in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. The third part examined physicians who are disciplined and move their practices to different states. Summaries of articles from the three parts appear below.

• "Medical Boards Let Physicians Practice Despite Drug Abuse": The article examined how state medical boards nationwide allow physicians with "well-documented drug and alcohol problems" to continue to practice, despite multiple relapses and the potential risk for patients. According to the National Practitioner Data Bank, state medical boards disciplined nearly 1,400 physicians nationwide for substance abuse between 1999 and 2004 and disciplined more than 300 physicians more than one time over that period (Thompson [1], Washington Post, 4/10).
  


• "After Stealing Drugs, Doctor Goes to Rehab": The article profiled a California anesthesiologist who avoided probation by the state medical board because he had enrolled in a state program to receive treatment for substance abuse. According to the Post, state medical boards often require physicians who test positive for substance abuse to receive treatment but allow them to continue their practices (Thompson [2], Washington Post, 4/10).
  


• "D.C. Board Rarely Punishes Physicians": The article examined how Washington, D.C., "is a forgiving place" for "troubled doctors." According to medical board records and statistics from the Federation of State Medical Boards, state medical boards in Maryland or Virginia between 1999 and 2004 were about two times as likely to discipline physicians as the medical board in Washington, D.C.(Thompson [1], Washington Post, 4/11).
  


• "Despite Deaths, D.C. License Upheld": The article profiled Dr. Gideon Kioko, an OB/GYN who was allowed to continue his practice in Washington, D.C., after he performed abortions that resulted in the deaths of two patients in Maryland. The Maryland medical board suspended his medical license for six years, but the Washington, D.C., board "ignored an administrative law judge's recommendation" and placed him on probation, issued a $5,000 fine, ordered community service and "banned him from performing abortions in the city for five years" -- a ban later lifted after three months (Thompson [2], Washington Post, 4/11).
  


• "Poor Performance Records Are Easily Outdistanced": The article examined how physicians who commit offenses in one state continue to practice by restarting their careers in other states. Between 1999 and 2004, 972 physicians nationwide were disciplined in one state, then moved at least once more and were disciplined again for a separate infraction, according to federal statistics. Many such doctors are able to relocate because they are never reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank, a repository for doctor discipline records. Nearly 54% of all hospitals have never reported a disciplinary action to the data bank, according to HHS, which oversees the system (Thompson [3], Washington Post, 4/12).
  


• "Red Flags About Md. Man Ignored": The article profiled Dr. Jeffrey Levitt, an OB/GYN who was hired in 1995 by an Arkansas hospital after he had lost his medical license in Maryland for having sex with two patients and carrying a gun. According to the Post, Levitt subsequently was dismissed from the Arkansas hospital because of patient complaints. He then returned to Maryland, where his license was reinstated on probation in 1997 and then revoked again in 2000. Levitt will be eligible to apply for reinstatement this year (Thompson [4], Washington Post, 4/12).
  


• "A Track Record of Lies and of Job Dismissals": The article profiled Dr. Mahmoud Nemazee, who -- over the course of 18 years -- received licenses in California, Maryland, Nevada, Utah and Virginia by lying on several of his applications about being fired from previous positions. According to hospital and medical board records in Maryland and California, Nemazee had been dismissed for keeping poor records, performing unnecessary procedures on some babies and failing to provide the required procedures on others. He currently practices in Los Angeles (Thompson [5], Washington Post, 4/12).
  


• "Multiple State Licenses Helped Shield History": The article profiled Dr. Joseph Hayes, a Tennessee physician, who in 1999 began practicing in South Carolina to avoid being convicted of sexually harassing his patients. In 2001, Tennessee revoked Hayes' license after he returned to the state and was convicted of the charges. However, his license was reinstated with a restriction allowing him to perform only administrative jobs in a male prison. Hayes said he hopes to return to practicing family medicine or urgent care in April (Thompson [6], Washington Post, 4/12).
  

Live Online Chat
Cheryl Thompson, a Post staff writer, discussed her series -- "Special Treatment: Disciplining Doctors" -- in an online chat on Monday. A transcript is available online.