News of the Day ... In Perspective

Texas Medical Board under fire

Medical boards are supposed to protect the public from incompetent or dangerous doctors—such as drug abusers and sexual predators, notes reporter Nanci Wilson for CBS 42 Investigates.

Instead, the Board treats good doctors like criminals, and spends its resources on trivial alleged violations of record-keeping rules. Anonymous complaints brought by competitors or insurance companies can cost physicians thousands of dollars in legal fees—or even their medical careers.

So say witnesses testifying at a hearing before the Texas House Appropriations Committee on Oct 23. AAPS General Counsel Andrew Schlafly and a number of AAPS physician members will testify. Watch the hearing live: http://www.aapsonline.org/tmb.php

Legislators will investigate allegations of conflicts of interest in board members, lack of due process for doctors, and the use of the Board by insurers to intimidate or ruin physicians to protect their own bottom line.

Additional information:

• Suggestions by AAPS to the Sunset Review Committee, 7/12/04

• “AAPS Applauds Resignation of Dr. Keith Miller from Texas Medical Board,” press release 9/7/07.

• AAPS Hall of Shame.