Courant editorial critical of CT physician oversight

Authorities in CT are too lax in approving physicians to practice here, according to the Hartford Courant’s editorial page. The editorial was based on an article by the CT Health I-Team. The authors highlight numerous cases of disciplined doctors who’ve lost their license in neighboring states who are later approved to practice in CT. Hospital error reporting has improved in our state, but physician oversight lags. The authors blame a stubborn cultural bias of excusing bad practitioners over patient safety. Physicians in CT are regulated by a volunteer board including mainly other physicians. A recent report by Public Citizen ranks CT 47th among states in regulating doctors; we’ve been in the bottom ten states for each of the last three year reporting cycles. The report lays out qualities of top states with the best records of protecting patients including adequate staffing, independence of the board, and reasonable legal standards. Both Norma Gyle, Deputy Commissioner of Public Health, and the CT State Medical Society have proposed changes to improve patient safety.
Ellen Andrews