BOARD WORKING WITH DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO REDUCE MEDICAL MISTAKES IN DISTRICT HEALTHCARE FACILITIES
At a public hearing held on October 4, 2007, Councilmember Catania commended the District of Columbia Board of Medicine and its work with the Department of Health’s Health Regulation and Licensing Administration (HRLA) to institute measures to improve patient safety and quality of care.  The hearing also focused on implementation of the Medical Malpractice Amendment Act of 2006, legislation that stemmed from the Medical Malpractice Taskforce convened by Catania in 2005.

“Just two years ago we had reports of a Board of Medicine that wasn’t responding to the needs of the community.” said Councilmember Catania.  “Now we have a streamlined, fully-functional Board that can dedicate its efforts towards improving patient safety in this city.” 

Dr. Frederick Finelli, Chairperson of the Board, provided the Committee with an update on the new on-line physician profile database.  Housed on the Department of Health’s website, the public can now search by a physician’s name or license type to learn whether or not a particular physician has faced disciplinary action or has received a Board order.  In addition, the on-line database includes information on office hours, education, certifications, hospital affiliations, and whether or not a particular physician participates in the District’s Medicaid program so as to help individuals choose the physician that is right for them.

Dr. Finelli also spoke about the Board’s work with the HPLA to implement the adverse event reporting system as set forth in the Medical Malpractice Amendment Act.  He, along with Dr. Feseha Woldu, Senior Deputy Director of the HRLA, have worked with members of the medical community to develop interim guidelines and standardized reporting forms so that the Department can begin collecting and analyzing the data with the goal of preventing avoidable medical mistakes.