Researching Your Doctor: What You Should Know

An Orange County doctor, Alvin Yee, M.D., has been sentenced in federal court to serve no more than 11 years in prison for selling prescriptions to "patients" he would meet in coffee shops.  According to ABC News, Dr. Yee had been captured on video meeting with patients at coffee houses and fast food restaurants throughout the county selling prescription for dangerous narcotic medications such as OxyContin, Xanax and other addictive drugs.  At least two of the patients, both in their early 20s, overdosed and died after receiving prescriptions from Yee.   The investigation into his activities began in September of 2010 and ended after he sold a prescription to an uncover officer.

Protecting Yourself from Malpractice 

In the case above, the patients obviously had some role in their own mistreatment, and most people would recognize that a physician writing prescriptions at a fast food restaurant or a coffee shop is not likely providing competent care.  However, if you are a legitimate patient, how do you find out important background information regarding your doctor?  For example, if you were looking for a doctor to perform an orthopedic procedure you would certainly want to know if that doctor is at least board certified as an orthopedic surgeon.   But beyond verifying board certification, there are other steps you can take that, while not full proof, may give you additional assurance your doctor is competent.

Resources to Consider

First, you should at least consider the California Medical Board's website to see what the doctor's background looks like (i.e., years in practice, medical school attended, history of discipline, etc.).  As mentioned in earlier blogs, the Medical Board's history of investigating and disciplining bad doctors leaves a lot to be desired so that resource alone is likely not enough.  In Orange County, you may also want to visit the Superior Court's website to see what lawsuits have been filed against a particular doctor.  That system is also not one without flaws, but it sometimes will provide very useful information about a doctor's history of malpractice lawsuits.  Finally, just simply trying a Google search, which may lead to patient reviews and other sites such as Healthgrades,  which specifically focus on providing information regarding doctors and other health care professionals.

if you or a loved one have been the victim of medical malpractice, consulting with an experienced malpractice attorney is perhaps the best way to find out whether your case is one that can be successfully pursued.

SOURCE:  Exclusive: Doctor sentenced for prescribing drugs in coffee shops, ABC News, Orange County News, October 17, 2013, by Eileen Frere