Nevada Board to Post Additional Malpractice History
In response to the Hepatitis C outbreak in southern Nevada, regulators decided to post more information about the malpractice history of its doctor’s on the state Board of Medical Examiners website giving consumers a better tool to research their doctor. The unanimous decision was spurred by the outbreak and criticism of the way the board distributes information about it licensed doctors. The current website lists the names of doctors who've been disciplined and the nature of the infraction, but the public must contact the board for additional information. The board plans to add to that a searchable database of all doctors named in malpractice cases that ended in a settlement, award or judgment. The hepatitis C outbreak led to the biggest public health notification operation in U.S. history. Officials have linked 84 cases of the potentially deadly liver disease to the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada. More than 50,000 patients were notified they may be at risk. Federal and local health officials blamed the outbreak on unsafe injections procedures regularly performed at the center. Officials believe doctors ordered the staff to reuse syringes and misusing single-dose medication vials. The board is still investigating the doctors involved and a disciplinary hearing is scheduled for the clinic's owner, Dr. Dipak Desai.
