Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Good For U.W. Madison

From jsonline: The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health said Tuesday it would take disciplinary action against its physicians who wrote doctor excuse notes for protesters at the state Capitol during rallies in February.
The doctors face discipline ranging from a written reprimand to loss of pay and leadership position, the medical school said in a statement.
The medical school, however, would not say how many doctors were facing discipline.
The school said it reviewed 22 physicians whose names were provided from a variety of sources as having offered medical excuse notes to protesters. Its investigation found that several of those said to have provided excuse notes had not done so.
It said in the statement that it would not release the names of those involved and the actions taken, citing state law governing the confidentiality of public employee records.
The UW School of Medicine and Public Health's investigation is separate from a probe being conducted by the state Department of Regulation and Licensing and the Medical Examining Board into the doctor excuse notes.
Last week, Department of Regulation and Licensing and the Medical Examining Board said that they had opened investigations into eight individuals who allegedly wrote doctor excuse notes for protesters.
Those eight were among 11 people the department had identified as possibly providing excuses.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/120727874.html
I am glad the U.W. took disciplinary action against these doctors. As a teaching hospital, the doctors need to ethical, beyond reproach. Each doctor, at some time or another, deals with med students and they have to set an example on how to be ethical. providing fake doctor excuses is not ethical. Further, as employees of U.W., their medical malpractice insurance is paid by the State of Wisconsin. If something went wrong, like if a "patient" died of a heart attack 5 minutes after being seen by these doctors, it would put the doctor and U.W. at risk for a medical malpractice lawsuit.
So, good for U.W. Madison for not letting these doctors off the hook.

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