N.H. lax with doctors, national group reports

A national consumer group says fewer malpractice lawsuits are being filed against New Hampshire doctors, but the state still needs to do a better job disciplining incompetent doctors.

In its annual report, Public Citizen’s Health Research Group said only Hawaii and the District of Columbia disciplined fewer doctors than did New Hampshire in 1994.

The state took action against four doctors last year, or 1.52 per thousand doctors in the state. In contrast, Wyoming, which the group ranked best in the nation, disciplined 12.41 doctors per thousand.

“It is likely that patients are being injured or killed more often in states with poor doctor disciplinary records than in states like Georgia, Iowa, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Alaska and Mississippi, all in the top 10 in 1994, and 1992 and 1993,” said Dr. Sidney Wolfe, director of the Washington-based group.

Maine disciplined 10 doctors or 3.73 per thousand, and Vermont disciplined five doctors, or 2.93 doctors per thousand.

Physicians have criticized the group’s report, saying the ranking does not reflect medical quality or the regulating job done by the New Hampshire Board of Registration in Medicine.