Last week, Illinois launched a new Web site that provides consumers with information about physicians in the state, including any malpractice judgments and out-of-court settlements in the last five years, the Springfield State Journal-Register reports.
The Web site also offers information about physicians':
- Education;
- Felony convictions;
- Hospital affiliations;
- Serious misdemeanor convictions;
- Specialties; and
- What types of insurance they accept.
Susan Hofer, spokesperson for the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, said the Web site received 77,200 hits last weekend.
State Rep. Mary Flowers (D) said that patients deserve the information provided on the physician profile Web site and that they can discuss the medical malpractice data with physicians. She added that she plans to push additional legislation to expand the site to include other health professions, such as dentists and chiropractors.
Eric Bleyer, president of the Sangamon County Medical Center, said he hopes patients will not discredit physicians because of malpractice settlements listed on the Web site. "I don't think that most physicians are opposed to people knowing about this information," he said, adding, "The problem is people interpreting this information."
Legal Challenges
The site was mandated by a 2005 law that also placed caps on medical malpractice judgments against physicians and hospitals.
However, the caps are being challenged in the Illinois Supreme Court. If the court overturns the caps and the legislation, the Web site could be shut down (Olsen, Springfield State Journal-Register, 4/8).