New York: State Urged to Tighten Doctor Discipline

The state needs to strengthen the disciplinary system for doctors, consumer groups said as they released a report on physician oversight. The number of physicians in the state and complaints against them have increased in recent years, but disciplinary actions have gone down, said Blair Horner of the New York Public Interest Research Group. The ranks of doctors practicing increased 28 percent from 1995 to 2007 and complaints went up 46 percent. But the number of disciplinary actions last year was the lowest since 1996. The state Department of Health “really took its foot off the accelerator in terms of actions against doctors,” Horner said. Other findings in the report were: Nearly 60 percent of actions by the Health Department’s Office of Professional Medical Conduct were based on sanctions made by other states, the federal government or the courts. Most continue to practice.

Please click on the link below to read the Ithaca Journal article:

http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080528/NEWS01/805280336/1002/NEWS01

For more information on defending medical malpractice and nursing home matters in Florida contact Howard Citron at The Citron Law Firm, P.A. – www.citronlegal.com.

Medical Marijuana Bill Proposed in Ohio

Ohio Sen. Tom Roberts, D-Dayton, unveiled details of the Ohio Medical Compassion Act on Tuesday, which if adopted, “would allow patients to use medicinal cannabis through a regulated system of quality health care.” If enacted, Ohio would join 12 other states that have currently de-criminalized the use of medicinal marijuana. According to Roberts, the legislation would allow qualified patients and primary caregivers to use medicinal cannabis through a cardholder system. Tonya Davis, a medicinal marijuana user who assisted in drafting the bill, said that under the proposed legislation, only a patient with a medical condition or illness that is sufficiently serious or debilitating, and who has the approval of his or her medical practitioner, will be able to use cannabis. Davis suffers from a host of debilitating medical conditions, including domestic violence-induced scoliosis, and is confined to a wheelchair. “It’s time that Ohio just look at the science and with it being well regulated, hopefully … we’ll be able to protect the patients more,” Davis told the News. Roberts’ proposed legislation would call on the Ohio Departments of Health and Agriculture to establish an advisory board to regulate the use of medicinal marijuana. The program would be run under a cardholder system, and the board would be responsible for reviewing the use of cannabis in cases of debilitated medical conditions, reviewing applications for registry identification cards and providing recommendations for the safe growing and use of medical cannabis.

Please click on the link below to read the Mount Vernon News article:

http://www.mountvernonnews.com/local/08/05/21/medical_marijuana.html

For more information on defending medical malpractice and nursing home matters in Florida contact Howard Citron at The Citron Law Firm, P.A. – www.citronlegal.com.