TABLE OF CONTENTS

Physician Profiles including Malpractice Information.

Profiling Law.

Pending Malpractice Lawsuits.

Disciplinary Proceedings.

License Status.

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Physician Profiles.
The Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine is required to compile a Profile for each physician licensed in Massachusetts containing basic information about the physician's practice. Physician Profiles can be obtained either from the Board of Registration in Medicine’s website (click on Physician Profiles) or by calling the Board at 1-800-377-0550 or 1-617-727-0773.

The information which the Board must collect and publish in a Profile includes the following:

• Whether the Physician is certified in a Specialty by a Specialty Board..
• Education and Training.
• Paid Malpractice Claims within the last 10 years. The number of payments made as a result of a Settlement of a Malpractice Claim or a Judgment against the physician in a malpractice lawsuit or an arbitration award is provided. Although the actual dollar amount of the payment is not provided, the Board is required to include in the Profile information showing whether the amount of each payment was below  average, equal to the average or above the average of malpractice payments made by physicians in the physician’s specialty. The Board does not provide descriptions of the claims to the public. (For a different approach see Florida and California which disclose the actual dollar amount of paid malpractice claims.)
• Criminal Convictions within the past 10 years supplied to the Board by the Massachusetts court system. According to the Board, criminal convictions listed in a physician’s profile may not be complete.
• Hospital disciplinary actions relating to competency or character occurring within the past 10 years.
• Final Disciplinary actions taken by the Board during the past 10 years.
• Insurance Plans accepted by the physician and whether the physician accepts Medicaid.
• Hospital Affiliations.
• Whether the physician is Accepting New Patients.
• Whether Translation Services are available.
• Location of the physician's primary practice setting.

A physician can also elect to have the following information included in their profile:

• Academic Appointments and Teaching Responsibilites.
• Publications in Peer-Reviewed Journals.
• Awards.

The Massachusetts Profiling Law was passed in 1996 and is contained in Chapter 112, section 5 of the General laws of Massachusetts. To obtain a copy of this law, click on this Link which will take you to the search page for the Massachusetts statutes. Do a search by entering the chapter and section number.

Pending Malpractice Lawsuits.

Although the Board of Registration in Medicine does not include information on pending malpractice lawsuits in its physician profiles, the Board will provide by telephone, 1-800-377-0550,  identifying information about such lawsuits reported to the Board by the Massachusetts court system. Identifying information includes: docket number, court district and courthouse phone number.

Dismissed Complaints and Pending Disciplinary Proceedings.

The Board of Registration in Medicine is responsible for handling complaints against and disciplining physicians.

A summary of complaints against a physician which have been dismissed can be obtained without a fee by calling the Board  at 1-617-727-0773. For a fee, additional information about the complaint can also be obtained. For further information consult the Frequently Asked Questions on the Board's Consumer Information Website. 

Information about complaints which have resulted in formal charges by the Board against a physician is available even though the charges are still pending. 

License Status.

The status of a physician's license can be verified by calling the Board of Registration in Medicine at 1-617-727-1788.

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