Information including whether a physician has been fired, convicted of a crime or made a malpractice payment within the previous five years will soon be available to Illinois patients.
Gov. Pat Quinn (D) signed the Patients’ Right to Know Act into law on Aug. 9, 2011. The law will require the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to post physician information — which has long been collected by the agency — on it’s website.
Hospitals and other health care employers are already required to inform the state agency when a physician is terminated or has their privileges restricted, and insurance companies must report malpractice payments, but this information was previously kept private.
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Now doctors must inform the agency if they are convicted of Class A misdemeanors or felonies, and another recently passed Illinois law will require prosecutors to notify the agency when physicians are convicted of sex crimes, forcible felonies or misdemeanor battery involving patients.
The physician profiles will also include information such as medical schools attended, specialty board certifications, number of years in practice, current practice location and whether or not the physician participates in Medicaid programs.
Physicians will have 60 days to review and correct factual inaccuracies before their profiles are published. Those who provide false information will face disciplinary action.
