March 21, 2005 |
2005-R-0339 | |
QUESTIONS FOR MEDICAL EXAMINING BOARD NOMINEE | ||
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By: John Kasprak, Senior Attorney | ||
Medical Examining Board (CGS § 20-8a)
• The board consists of 15 members, nine of whom are physicians, who serve terms that are coterminous with the governor’s. The board must include five practicing physicians, a full-time physician faculty member of the UConn School of Medicine, a physician who is the full-time chief of staff of a general care hospital, a physician who supervises at least one physician assistant, one osteopathic physician, a physician assistant, and five public members.
• The governor appoints all members.
• Either house confirms.
• Reviews the proposed final decisions of medical hearing panels appointed to consider complaints. May adopt, modify, or remand the decisions.
QUESTIONS
1. What do you consider the primary role and function of the Medical Examining Board? Is the board’s primary responsibility the medical community, consumers, others?
2. As a public member of the board, what particular skills, experience, and knowledge do you have that will benefit the board in carrying out its responsibilities?
3. Do you believe that the board, as currently structured, funded and administered, is able to meet its statutory duties? How do you view the relationship between the board and the Department of Public Health? Do you see any need for changes in this relationship?
4. The board has been criticized by some for failure to discipline physicians appropriately. How do you react to this? What should be the board’s approach in its oversight and review of physician performance?
5. Do you believe the state is facing a shortage of physicians? Are any specialty areas a particular problem? If so, what do you believe are some of the contributing factors?
6. The issues of “medical error” and “health care quality improvement” have received a great deal of attention in recent years. What can medical practitioners do to minimize medical error and improve the overall quality of health care delivery in the state? What role, if any, can the board play in this?
JK: ts