Has Your Doctor Been Disciplined? Here's How to Find Out

Medical error is the third leading cause of death in the U.S., taking more than 250,000 lives a year, in part because of physician mistakes, Johns Hopkins University researchers estimate. But finding out if your doctor has been disciplined isn’t easy, a new report finds.

But the analysis, by Consumer Reports, identifies a handful of techniques for discovering whether your doctor has been disciplined for “making careless, sometimes deadly, mistakes,” poor treatment of patients, sexual misconduct, drug addiction, or other offenses.

According to the CR report, thousands of practicing doctors in the United States are on probation for such offenses. A survey by the nonprofit group found that 82 percent of respondents said doctors should have to tell patients if they're on probation and why, and two-thirds support banning doctors from practicing medicine until their probation ends.

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