It is no secret that our country is well known for its powerful and practical system of checks and balances. This system ensures that proper oversight is consistently implemented in an effort to decrease mistakes and improper behavior and extends to the medical community as well. Illinois, like every state, maintains its own medical board which oversees and regulates each physician licensed in that state. When a licensed physician is reported for misconduct or malpractice, it is up to that state’s medical board – as part of their system – to ensure that the physician is penalized and prevented from any future wrongdoing.
But what happens when this system fails us?
USAToday.com recently released a harrowing editorial detailing a significant issue our malpractice attorneys are all too familiar with – medical professionals who maintain their professional license despite continuous misconduct. Even though these doctors are often disciplined by means of being banned from certain medical facilities, their medical license remains fully intact – further allowing them to move their practice elsewhere and ultimately onto unsuspecting patients.