North Carolina Malpractice Lawsuit Settlement and Judgment Info Available

Patients in North Carolina are now able to check online to see if doctors have been involved in medical malpractice lawsuits that resulted in settlements or judgments, thanks to information posted to a website maintained by the state’s medical board.

The North Carolina Medical Board’s website now includes medical malpractice information and criminal judgment information on all of the state’s 35,000 licensed physicians, as well as physician assistants. The website expansion came as the result of a new law by the state legislature that requires the board to make the information available and accessible to the public.

Consumers who are curious about their doctor or a doctor they are considering visiting can go to the web page and search by name or city. The information that can be found on the web site now includes disciplinary actions from any regulatory board or agency, felony convictions, misdemeanor convictions, and medical malpractice or liability payments above $75,000.

In addition, users can find honors and awards, years in clinical practice, professional peer-reviewed publications and whether the physician is accepting new patients.

“The additional information, which licensees are required to report to the Board under state law, makes the Board’s licensee information pages among the most comprehensive offered by state regulatory boards nationally,” according to a North Carolina Medical Board press release.

The board licenses and regulates all physicians and physician assistants in the state.

The expansion was fought by associations representing doctors, hospitals and insurance companies, who objected to the posting of North Carolina malpractice lawsuit settlement amounts, many of which include secrecy clauses that expressly prohibits either party from revealing the amount of the settlement. Originally, the board intended to post all settlements in excess of $25,000. However, lawmakers in the state’s General Assembly passed a bill which raised the threshold to $75,000.