Professional Organizations Problems
Medical Legal Consultation, Assistance, and/or Representation of Health
Care Professionals with emphasis on the following matters:
Denial of or Delay in Application for Membership
Investigations by Professional Organizations
Administrative Hearing Procedure
Various Types of Discipline
Settlement
Appeal
Impaired Physician
Currently, important types of problems that arise with professional organizations
are:
1. Undue, excessive time to process
your application. There is no need for this to happen. Applications should
be processed in an expeditious manner, especially if you have paid a processing
charge.
2. "Deselection". There is now case
law that holds that you are entitled to a judicial review hearing before
being terminated.
3. Who is liable to the plaintiff
in a medical malpractice action for alleged negligent/incompetent patient
care? Was the physician precluded from rendering the care he/she believed
to be appropriate?
4. Disciplinary actions, including
but not limited to alleged negligent care incompetent care, and "economic"
complaints. Other problems arise when the organization wishes to take disciplinary
action against the member. The disciplining of a member is a serious matter
because it will be reported to the local licensing agency or the National
Practitioner Data Bank, if related to quality of care of patients.
5. Possible adverse effects on hospital
staff membership.
6. Other adverse effects of being
disciplined by a professional organization.