Gov. Hobbs, lawmaker want more transparency for doctors with history of misconduct

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — There’s a new push among some Arizona politicians to hold doctors who break the trust of patients more accountable.

Gov. Katie Hobbs wants to add more investigators to the Arizona Medical Board and a state lawmaker has introduced a bill to give the public more access to any allegations of misconduct.

Andrew Ford is an investigative reporter with the Arizona Republic who’s spent more than a year researching the Arizona Medical Board and how it operates. He said that state law prohibits the board from posting on its website any doctor misconduct beyond five years, and advisory letters that include details of misbehavior are not allowed either. “These advisory letters describe really colorful misbehavior from violence, sexual misconduct, drug use,” said Ford. “There was a doctor that removed a patient’s ovaries without consent and there was a doctor written up for showing up to work under the influence of alcohol.”

Rep. Patricia Contreras wants to give the public more access to a doctor’s past. The Democrat from Phoenix introduced HB 2312, which would allow the state medical board to post doctor misconduct dating back 25 years. Advisory letters issued to physicians would be posted, as well. “There are millions of doctors out there that haven’t done anything bad, but the few bad apples are the ones we really want to make sure of,” said Contreras. “Me as a patient, you as a patient, my mom, sister, should we have knowledge that there was something in a doctor’s history that wasn’t quite right.”

Advisory letters and other misconduct involving a physician are public records; it’s just difficult for the public to obtain them. Dr. Clifford Gazda, a family physician in Scottsdale, said he’d have no problem with the added transparency. “Our standards are very high and they should be,” said Gazda. “You trust us with your life, and the medical care of family and children. We want to make sure we are practicing in a way that is appropriate and safe. I have a job because patients come to see me, because the public comes to see me. The scrutiny is part of it, whether we like it or not.”

The Arizona Medical Board currently has seven investigators to look into complaints against physicians. Gov. Hobbs is pushing to add two more to cut down on the time it takes to investigate each case.

According to the Governor’s Office, right now, the average number of days it takes to complete an investigation into a doctor is approximately 155. The additional investigators are meant to help manage the caseload, speed up investigations and deliver more accountability and transparency for Arizonans.

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