1999 serious action rate: 7.02/1000 doctors
1999 ranking: 4th

In Idaho, there were disciplinary actions reported against 45 doctors including 1 who was disciplined for substance abuse, 3 for misprescribing or overprescribing drugs, 1 for sexual abuse of or sexual misconduct with a patient, 3 for substandard care, incompetence or negligence and 1 who was convicted of a crime.

The Idaho State Board of Medicine provided a newsletter that contained only one name of a disciplined physician in 1991. In 1992, the Board sent one newsletter covering actions through December 1991 which listed the physician's name, degree, city and state of residence, date and type of action taken and reason for the action. Copies of board orders for actions taken from 1993 through 1996 which list the physician's name, degree, license number, the date and type of action taken and the reason for the action were also received. These orders contain information on modifications and terminations of board orders. Idaho sent yearly newsletters listing actions from 1997 through 1999 which list the physician's name, degree, and date and type of action taken. These orders contain some information on modifications, terminations, and court actions, and Idaho sent separate information on these actions.

The information provided covers disciplinary actions taken against allopathic physicians (MDs) only.

Besides disciplinary actions taken by the State Medical Board, this listing also includes actions taken by the Medicare/Medicaid programs, the FDA, and the DEA against physicians located in this state. Disciplinary actions taken by other states against physicians located in Idaho or that match a physician disciplined by Idaho are also included.

Idaho Board Internet Address:  http://www.idacare.org This state has a web site which we have graded B on a scale of A (best) to X (worst) in our February 2000 Survey of Doctor Disciplinary Information on State Medical Board Web Sites. This grade is a measure of the completeness of the information on disciplined doctors. Those state licensing boards with web sites make independent choices about the type of information to be included on their site and how often it is updated.

According to the Federation of State Medical Boards, Idaho took 16 serious disciplinary actions against MDs in 1999. Compared to the 2,278 MDs licensed in the state, Idaho had a serious disciplinary action rate of 7.02 serious actions per 1,000 MDs and a ranking of 4th on that list of states (see Table A).

The tables below summarize the data Public Citizen received from Idaho.

Table 1. Disciplinary Actions Against MDs and DOs 1990 through 1999*
Action	Number	Percent**
Revocation	7	13.7%
Surrender	6	11.8%
Suspension	3	5.9%
Probation	4	7.8%
Practice Restriction	3	5.9%
Action Taken Against Controlled Substance License	6	11.8%
Other Actions	22	43.1%
Total Actions	51	100.0%

* This table lists only the two most serious disciplinary actions taken against a physician
** Percentages may not total 100% due to rounding.

Table 2. Offenses for which MDs and DOs were Disciplined 1990 through 1999*
Offense	Number	Percent
Criminal Conviction	1	3.0%
Sexual Abuse of or Sexual Misconduct with a Patient	1	3.0%
Substandard Care, Incompetence or Negligence	3	9.1%
Misprescribing or Overprescribing Drugs	4	12.1%
Substance Abuse	1	3.0%
Disciplinary Action Taken Against License by Another State or Agency	20	60.6%
Other Offenses	3	9.1%
Total Records With Offense Listed	33	100.0%

* Includes only those actions for which an offense was listed and for which we had a corresponding term in our database.

Table 3. Disciplinary Actions Taken for Substance Abuse
Action	Number	Percent
Revocation	1	6.7%
Suspension	5	33.3%
Probation	7	46.7%
Restriction of Controlled Substance License	1	6.7%
Fine	1	6.7%
Total Actions	15	100.0%

If you feel that your doctor has not given you proper medical care or has mistreated you in any way--whether or not he or she is listed in this report--it is important that you let your state medical board know. Even if they do not immediately act on your complaint, it is important that the information be recorded in their files because it is possible that other people may have filed or will file complaints about the same doctor. Send a brief written description of what occurred to the addresses below or call the phone numbers listed for more information on how to file a complaint.

Address
Idaho State Board of Medicine
Darleene Thorsted, Executive Director
PO Box 83720, Statehouse Mail
Boise, ID 83720-0058
(208) 327-7000
1-888-622-3855

Internet Address:  http://www.idacare.org