Medical License Verification to Minimize Medical Negligence and Medical Malpractice

Medical License Verification to Minimize Medical
Negligence and Medical Malpractice
A 1984 Harvard study of more than 30000 records from 51 randomly selected hospitals in
New York found that adverse medical events occur in the more than 3.7% of patients
admitted and that more than a quarter of these were due to medical negligence. Close to
14% of the adverse medical events were fatal and 2.6% resulted in severe disability. When
extrapolated to the 2.7 million patients discharged from New York hospitals that year about
13,450 people died and 2250 were seriously injured. (When Doctors Kill By Stephen J.
Cina, Joshua A. Perper).
These are the stats which are showing the medical malpractice and medical negligence
issues of the most prominent and advanced city of the world. After reading those horrible
figures one can understand that the world is suffering from medical malpractice and
negligence on a much higher scale and the prevention only lies when we background check
our doctor or medical practitioner through primary source verification, medical credentialing
and by medical license verification.
Investigation and verification of medical license can assure you the safety and integrity of
the doctor or a medical practitioner you are going to get treated. To practice medicine, a
practitioner must obtain a license from the appropriate state licensing agency (i.e. state
medical board). A physician usually applies for a state license after completing medical
school and passing an examination that established his or her knowledge in the basic
sciences.
When a medical professional is suspected of a board violation, he or she will likely be
investigated to determine if disciplinary action is necessary. The conditions for discipline
vary from board to board and state to state, but there are some rules that are adopted by
all or almost all professional boards. Some of the common grounds for discipline include:

License registration or renewal fraud

Verify license, expiration date, and sanctions or limitations.

Medical practice misconduct, fraud, or negligence

Committing a health law violation

Practicing while a license is pending or suspended

Practicing while under the influence of alcohol or drugs

Alcohol or drug dependency

Committing a criminal offense

Qualifying as mentally unstable or insane
Core Criteria for Medical License Verification

The core criteria followed by different international organizations like joint commission
international for medical license verification is performed at the time of initial appointment,
and at the time of each reappointment and/or re-privileging, and is recommended at the
time of license expiration. The following points must be considered while performing PSV:
• Date and time of the license issuance.
• State of licensure, license number, date of original licensure and expiration date
• Name (first and last) of the person initiating the verification call
• Name (first and last) of the person verifying the information

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• Are there any current, past, or pending restrictions on the license?
• Are there any current, past, or pending disciplinary actions against the practitioner?
Peer Referencing is Essential for Medical License Verification
Peer Referencing is very important when medical license verification process is live. A peer
must be someone who knows the doctor or medical practitioner from past three to five
years. If the applicant is finished training during past three to five years the peer
referencing letter must be from his/ her training program director. And at least one
reference from the practitioners specialty which marks the reputation and competency
factors.
What to verify:
1. Relationship of the peer to the applicant
2. How the peer is aware of applicant’s current clinical competency
3. Validation by the peer of the applicants request for clinical privileges
Potential verification Method:
Send a letter, and a questionnaire directly to the peer reference.
Conclusion
Every medical professional must be licensed in order to legally practice medicine. Licensing
boards are run at the state level and dictate the licensing requirements and conditions for
all physicians or nurses within a particular state. These boards require all licensed
individuals to meet certain criteria in order to remain in good standing. If a doctor or nurse
acts in a way that violates the code set by the board, he or she could be put on probation or
could have his or her license revoked altogether.

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