New Website Lets Patients Examine Doctors

A new online database run by the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation allows patients to explore "a doctor's specialty, certification, legal and disciplinary history and more." The database is the result of an effort by Illinois State Rep. Mary Flowers to gain patients more rights after seeing several investigative reports by CBS 2 regarding doctors who have had multiple malpractice suits brought against them. There are, admittedly, still loopholes to be closed in the system. According to CBS 2:

Patients cannot find out about pending malpractice lawsuits, only those with court settlements or judgments in the last five years. And even that information may be incomplete.

While there is work to be done, 94 percent of licensed physicians made last week's deadline to submit their info; those who missed the deadline will not be able to renew their license until they do so.

I searched my doctor and was delighted to find no legal action or discipline brought against him in Illinois or any other state in the last five years. Nice work, doc.