Arkansas ranks poorly in a study done by Consumer Reports that reviews medical board websites in all 50 states. The lack of easy access to physician’s records of past disciplinary actions is the primary issue spotlighted by the magazine.
Lisa McGiffert, director of the magazine’s Safe Patient Project, says things are confusing from the beginning, since visitors to the website must click on "Verify License" to access a physician’s profile. She believes a clearer description would make the information more accessible, but says challenges continue as patients move through the site.
"Once they get to the profile, Arkansas was rated poorly because they don’t have a whole lot of information, especially… anything about past convictions or malpractice pay out."
McGiffert says part of the problem might exist within the medical community itself.
"Often physicians put a lot of pressure on the medical boards not to make this information easily accessible," McGiffert says. "We would say it’s easy to make available, and patients have a right to know."
The highest ranked state within the study was California with a score of 84 points out of 100. Arkansas earned a score of 24 points.
The review is featured in the May issue of the magazine, which accepts no advertising and functions as a non-profit organization.
