1999 serious action rate: 2.64/1000 doctors
1999 ranking: 35th

In Rhode Island, there were disciplinary actions reported against 129 doctors including 6 who were disciplined for substance abuse, 2 for misprescribing or overprescribing drugs, 5 for sexual abuse of or sexual misconduct with a patient, 27 for substandard care, incompetence or negligence and 2 who were convicted of a crime.

The Rhode Island Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline provided a list of all disciplinary actions taken from 1990 through 1999 and copies of disciplinary orders from 1990 through 1996. The lists include the physician's name, degree, license number, the date and type of action taken, the reason for the action and the section of Rhode Island law violated. Actions that are under appeal are not listed until the cases have been resolved. The orders contain the date the action was taken as well as more detailed information about the type of action and the reason for the action. These also contain some information on modifications and terminations of board actions but not on court decisions affecting board actions. Rhode Island stated that court decisions would be included in the information we received.

The information provided covers disciplinary actions taken against allopathic physicians (MDs) and osteopathic physicians (DOs).

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 Rhode Island or that match a physician disciplined by Rhode Island are also included.

Rhode Island Board Internet Address:  http://www.docboard.org/ri/main.htm This state has a web site which we have graded D 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, Rhode Island took 10 serious disciplinary actions against MDs and DOs in 1999. Compared to the 3,784 MDs licensed in the state, Rhode Island had a serious disciplinary action rate of 2.64 serious actions per 1,000 MDs and a ranking of 35th on that list (see Table A).

The tables below summarize the data Public Citizen received from Rhode Island.

Table 1. Disciplinary Actions Against MDs and DOs 1990 through 1999*
Action	Number	Percent**
Revocation	9	5.1%
Surrender	21	11.9%
Suspension	11	6.3%
Probation	16	9.1%
Practice Restriction	23	13.1%
Action Taken Against Controlled Substance License	2	1.1%
Other Actions	94	53.4%
Total Actions	176	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	2	2.0%
Sexual Abuse of or Sexual Misconduct with a Patient	5	5.1%
Substandard Care, Incompetence or Negligence	28	28.3%
Misprescribing or Overprescribing Drugs	2	2.0%
Substance Abuse	7	7.1%
Disciplinary Action Taken Against License by Another State or Agency	26	26.3%
Other Offenses	29	29.3%
Total Records With Offense Listed	99	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 Substandard Care, Incompetence or Negligence
Action	Number	Percent
Surrender	1	3.0%
Suspension	3	9.1%
Probation	2	6.1%
Practice Restriction	4	12.1%
Reprimand	20	60.6%
Other Actions	3	9.1%
Total Actions	33	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
Rhode Island Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline
Dr. Milton W. Hamolsky, Chief Administrative Officer
Department of Health
Cannon Building, Room 205
3 Capitol Hill
Providence, RI 02908-5097
(401) 222-3855
(401) 222-2158

Internet Address:  http://www.docboard.org/ri/main.htm