Maryland's Medical Board: What went wrong

Maryland’s Medical Board: What went wrong

Maryland’s Board of Physicians has seen better days. Recent changes in its membership composition have turned it into little more than a neighborhood watch group. Its former expertise has evaporated, to make way for the present politically correct entity that has clearly and unapologetically flouted the very laws that empower them. Recently, the medical board has come under fire for its lax procedures, disregard for due process, failure to follow legislative mandates and sundry other issues uncovered by a legislative audit. Physicians no longer can look to the medical board for guidance in the course of their practices because this administrative entity has not promulgated any rules of procedure in the last decade. Though Maryland citizens have a right to competent medical personnel, this should not preclude physicians from obtaining unbiased, appropriate and legitimate review when their abilities are questioned. Maryland’s legislative audit was superficial, yet alarming. The physician community was aware of many of its findings for years.  Statutes written to provide a level of fairness to physicians during a review process have not been instituted. As a result a physician can now lose his/her medical license based on the word of one physician, who may not be in the specialty of the doctor under review contrary to Maryland law. This is exemplified in the case of Mark Davis, MD whose medical license is pending revocation. The medical board should have its charter revoked, and Dr. Davis’ case should be reviewed because of the illicit manner in which it was managed. Legislators are calling for an external review of the Board and plan to engage the services of a physician from the University of Maryland. This is a big mistake. The politically active doctor they have in mind will white-wash the mess the retiring director Irving Pinder is leaving behind. Maryland Board of Physicians needs to be reconstituted. All of its procedures should come under review and present actions against medical personnel should be put in abeyance until the public is allowed transparency into the board’s procedures and practices. Mark Davis, MD president of Healthnets Review Services, platomd@gmail.com, www.markdavismd.com