The Colorado Legislature has passed a law that would require any physician that wishes to practice medicine in the state of Colorado to publicly report their background, including education, business dealings, medical malpractice and disciplinary actions.
The Michael Skolnik Medical Transparency Act came as a result of the tireless effort of Dave and Patti Skolnik, whose son Michael died as a result of surgical malpractice. They settled a medical malpractice claim against the doctor, but wanted to be sure that what happened to their son would not happen to anyone else.
“We all needed information on our doctors, where they’d been, where they practiced, what their specialty was, what they were involved in and be able to ask informed questions to them,” Mrs. Skolnik said.
The new law requires that doctors report details about themselves in an online database which is made available for the public to access. Patients can now look up a potential doctor and see if they’ve ever settled any malpractice lawsuits in the past. It helps them make better informed decisions prior to choosing who they seek treatment from.
It’s important to note that only adjudicated malpractice actions must be reported, not mere complaints. The reason behind this is that anyone can make an accusation. The database only shows settlements and judgments against a doctor, to ensure that prior to the information being made public, it’s gone through fair practice.
The bill is an excellent way to empower patients to be advocates for their own healthcare. When you know whose hands you are placing your healthcare in, you can be more confident that you’ll be in good care. And if people utilize the online database, it is likely that instances of medical malpractice will decline significantly in Colorado.
Check out the database here: www.dora.state.co.us
Source: www.9news.com
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