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Your Rights As a Hospital Patient Questions to Prepare for Surgery If You Think You're Leaving the Hospital Too Soon Getting to Know Your MCO (managed care organization)
Preventing Prescription Errors
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WHEN SOMETHING GOES WRONG
Far too many patients are harmed due to the poor quality of the health care they receive. Yet in only about 10 percent of patient injuries or deaths due to health care are complaints made to the Health Department or lawsuits filed alleging malpractice. It is only through aggressive action by consumers that regulatory bodies will weed out the bad apples that cause the most damage to patient health. While this guide is designed to help consumers make a confident decision when choosing a doctor, there are of course no guarantees. If you think a physician has mistreated you you can file a complaint with the Health Department’s Office of Professional Medical Conduct (see Doctor Conduct). Once you file a detailed complaint, in a letter or standardized form, an investigator will review the case and, if he or she sees fit, will refer your case to the director who may then determine the need for a full-blown investigation‹all of which can be difficult and time-consuming. Going through the complaint process, as hard as it may be, is the best way to ensure competent medical care for everyone. The last think you want to think about when you’re looking for a doctor is the possibility of being victimized, but the danger exists. The Harvard Study of Medical Practice, initiated by the New York State Legislature, revealed that in one year nearly 7,000 patients were killed and 20,000 were injured due to the negligence of doctors and other hospital staff in New York. It is well documented that physicians who are sanctioned by state medical boards are precisely those who practice substandard medicine. In a 1988 study on medical care quality assessment, the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment concluded that "a sanction imposed on a physician by a state or Medicare Peer Review Organization is good reason to question the quality of his or her care." Unfortunately, obtaining information about such incompetence and other areas of gross misconduct is extremely difficult. Moreover, incompetent doctors often go unpunished and fall through the regulatory cracks. Alert patients can improve their chances of not being victims of malpractice. To find out if a doctor has had disciplinary action taken against him or her (or to file a complaint against a doctor for malpractice) contact: Office of Professional Medical Conduct
For information about other health professionals such as dentists, nurses, chiropractors, podiatrists, optometrists and psychologists contact: New York State Education Department
Also, obtain a copy of "Questionable Doctors," a report published annually by the Ralph Nader-founded Public Citizen, which lists U.S. doctors with disciplinary actions filed against them. You may request the list by state ($15 plus shipping and handling) or in its entirety ($250 plus shipping and handling). Write to: Public Citizen Health Research Group, Dept. QD
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