Let’s Talk Health: Using online tools to check a doctor’s record

Doing research on a doctor before you seek his or her services seems like the logical thing to do. We gather information on so many other things before making a significant decision, such as buying a car or a house, or enrolling in a school.

Yet, so many people wouldn’t even know where to start when it comes to researching a doctor’s record.

Currently, doctors are not required to inform patients if they have been placed on probation by the Medical Board of California. They must, however, release this information to hospitals and malpractice insurers.

Late last month, the Medical Board of California rejected a bid that would require physicians to tell patients in a written notice if they are facing disciplinary actions.

Supporters have said such conditions would help keep patients stay in the loop about their medical providers. Board members argued it would affect the patient-doctor relationship. It would, without a doubt, drive some patients away from doctors on probation. In places such as the Central Valley, where doctor shortages already are a concern, some may ask what kind of burden this would create for doctors who are overbooked.

But this doesn’t mean patients should be in the dark.

Consumers Union, the nonprofit that filed the petition for the Medical Board to update the patient notification process, reported that nearly 500 of the 102,000 licensed physicians actively practicing as of Sept. 29 were on probation.

Doctors facing probation are listed for a number of reasons, including: gross negligence, poor record-keeping, substance abuse and sexual misconduct. According to the Medical Board, doctors who violate their terms of probation are subject to losing their medical licenses.

After rejecting the petition, the Medical Board said it would set up a task force to gather more data on the probation system and seek ways to make information more accessible to patients, The Associated Press reported.

So how do patients stay in the know? Most of what people need to know is available online and, as consumers, we are responsible for doing our part in being informed.

Disciplinary information on state licensed physicians is posted on the Medical Board’s website: www.breeze.ca.gov. The site is not too difficult to navigate, given that you have all of the necessary information – most of the time, all that is needed is the correct spelling of the doctor’s name.

Following is some information on how to get the most out of the online tools.

To look up a specific doctor, hit the the “Verify License” tab, located on the “For Consumers” section on the Breeze web page. On the following page, you are given a number of search options. You can look up a doctor by name, license number, city or county.

Once you click on “Search by Personal or Business Name,” you will be taken to a new page that asks for the doctor’s first and last names. The results page will list the physicians and surgeons that match your search criteria; it should also list the type of medical license and the license number. When you click on the name, you will find information such as: the license status, the license’s expiration date, the name of the school the doctor attended and his or her graduation date.

At the bottom of the page, you will see “Public Record Actions”; this is where you will find notes of disciplinary actions, if any. If your doctor is clear of any wrongdoing, you will find “None Found” next to the list of actions.

Sites such as Healthgrades, RateMDs and Vitals also allow you to check a doctor’s record and provide information on patient satisfaction and office information.

While transparency is always ideal, it is important to realize that staying updated lies largely on us. With a little work, we’ll find tools that can help us make the best and most-educated decision for our well-being.

This story was originally published November 13, 2015 at 5:06 PM with the headline "Let’s Talk Health: Using online tools to check a doctor’s record."