The NCMB was among the top 12 percent of boards with 15,000 or more physician licensees and among the top 20 percent of boards reporting data to the FSMB.
Raleigh, NC (PRWEB) May 18, 2012
The North Carolina Medical Board has released its Annual Board Actions Report, which reports the outcomes of disciplinary cases and other public matters resolved in 2011.
The NCMB took prejudicial* actions related to 213 individuals in 2011. That represents a decrease from 2010, when the Board took adverse actions related to 226 individuals. The NCMB noted increases in the number of license revocations (7 in 2011, up from 4 in 2010), license denials (14 in 2011, up from 6 denials 2010); and license surrenders (15 in 2011, compared to 11 in 2010). Overall, however, the Board took fewer adverse actions in 2011. Factors contributing to the decline include a 4 percent drop in complaints received for the year.
The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) released its 2011 Summary of Board Actions Report today, reporting disciplinary actions from 63 medical regulatory boards in the United States and territories. The report, which assigns a numeric rating to each board based on the number of adverse actions per physician licensee, documented decreases in disciplinary actions among many state medical boards last year. The NCMB was among the top 12 percent of boards with 15,000 or more physician licensees and among the top 20 percent of boards reporting data to the FSMB.
The Public Letter of Concern was, for the third straight year, the type of action most frequently executed by the NCMB, with 78 letters in 2011 (up one from 77 in 2010). These letters, which the Board started issuing in 2006, are a primary means of addressing cases related to quality of care.
During 2011, the Board took public actions in 85 cases related to quality of care issues (compared to 95 in 2010). Other major areas of concentration in 2011 included cases related to prescribing (46 cases in 2011, compared to 68 in 2010) and alcohol/substance abuse (49 cases in 2011, compared to 51 in 2010).
In addition, the NCMB took non-prejudicial** actions related to 50 individuals in 2011, compared to 51 individuals in 2010. Non-prejudicial actions include agreements that provide for monitored reentry to the active clinical practice of medicine, extensions of temporary medical licenses and actions terminating consent orders (upon completion of disciplinary terms.)
Access the NCMB's Annual Board Actions Report at http://www.ncmedboard.org/disciplinary_reports/annual_archive/
Access the Federation of State Medical Boards Summary of 2011 Board Actions report at http://www.fsmb.org/pdf/2011-summary-of-board-actions.pdf
About the Board
The North Carolina Medical Board is the agency responsible for licensing, monitoring, disciplining and guiding the health care practitioners it regulates to ensure their fitness and competence. For more information, visit the Board’s website at: http://www.ncmedboard.org
*Prejudicial action: Adverse in nature; reflects a violation of the Medical Practice Act by the practitioner.
**Non-prejudicial action: Not adverse in nature; may reflect the Board’s determination of satisfactory performance by the practitioner following a previous disciplinary action.
