From the Wisconsin State Journal:
UW School of Medicine and Public Health disciplined 20 doctors for writing questionable sick notes for protesters last year, newly released records show, with three doctors getting the harshest penalty: fines of up to $4,000 and loss of leadership positions for four months.
“One of the problems is that virtually none of those involved acknowledge that they did anything wrong,” wrote Dr. Norm Fost, head of a medical school investigatory committee that found the doctors seemed to be acting dishonestly, didn’t provide competent care and failed to protect patient privacy.
These, of course, would be the doctors who stood at anti-Scott Walker protests giving “doctor’s notes” to protesting teachers who had cut school for the protest.
– Medical Board done to discipline them?
If obesity is a sickness, then the doctors could use that in their defense. There were a lot of big-boned, well-fed union protesters in that crowd.
Discipline is the best thing for wayward infantilism. If these “doctors” are so committed to their childish behavior maybe they should be freed up permantely to go all in. Same with the teachers and any other so called “professionals”, including elected state senators who choose to leave the debate by physically leaving the vicinity and hiding like middle schoolers. Why are these miscreants not held accountable for their actions in a way equally harsh to their own actions?
#1
The Wisconsin State Medical Board issued “reprimands” and fines far less than the University did to 7 of the doctors on November 16. 2011. Two more doctors were given written warnings. They very carefully avoided any ruling that could affect malpractice insurance rates, let alone licensure.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/board-could-discipline-seven-doctors-for-capitol-protest-sick-notes-lo335ki-133974403.html
In short, the State Medical Board covered for the doctors and set the penalty for a repeat at less than $300. I don’t know about you, but I think that it is a reasonable first order approximation to assume that if these are the standards that both the State of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine set; that the professional ethics and professional competence of any doctor educated or licensed there are sufficiently questionable to warrant not being associated with professionally or personally.
YMMV
Subotai Bahadur
And we always wonder where the doctors who defraud Medicare/Medicaid come from. Now we know.
Having those sort of notes on your file at the Medical Board, and at the medical school where you did your residency, is going to be a real problem for those doctors going forward.
They will need to get on the medical staff at other hospitals when they graduate the residency program. Hospitals don’t like seeing any blemishes on a doctor’s credentials. At a minimum, they will have some ‘splaining to do, and they may well get their applications get turned down by some hospitals.
They are now permanently branded as troublemakers. Nobody needs those on their medical staff.
#6 R C Dean
They are now permanently branded as troublemakers.
I think that may depend on where they apply and what the political ambiance is. Their minimal punishment may end up making them martyrs for the Leftist cause, and welcome everywhere Democrats are in power. Keep in mind, that for the Left, ethics are situational, and the Narrative trumps reality every time.
Subotai Bahadur
I work with medical staffs and hospital boards who pass on credentialing and privileging, and they are generally quite self-interested, and not prone to giving anyone a pass because of their politics.
Its possible that a (very) few hospitals may give them a plus mark for this, and some (many?) may not care, but there will be many who will decide that there is no reason to take a chance with a known trouble-maker. On net, those sick notes have turned out to be career-limiting moves.