By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    HIPPA compliance
    How Medical Office Staff Can Make Your Practice HIPAA Compliant
    October 29, 2021
    Everything you need to know about hyaluronic acid treatment
    Everything you need to know about hyaluronic acid treatment
    February 10, 2022
    Which Mushroom Capsules Are Good for Your Health?
    May 5, 2022
    Latest News
    Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
    July 20, 2025
    How Probate Planning Shapes the Future of Your Estate and Family Care
    July 17, 2025
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Image
    Healthcare Pricing Transparency Gains Momentum
    June 24, 2013
    non-clinical care factors in health outcomes
    Addressing Non-Clinical Care Factors in Health Outcomes
    November 15, 2013
    e interventions
    Healthcare Progress Depends On “E Interventions”
    July 10, 2014
    Latest News
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
    How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
    July 17, 2025
    How communities and healthcare providers can address slip and fall injuries with legal awareness
    July 17, 2025
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: When Should a Doctor Lose His License?
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Medical Ethics > When Should a Doctor Lose His License?
Medical Ethics

When Should a Doctor Lose His License?

Michael Kirsch
Michael Kirsch
Share
5 Min Read
SHARE
This afternoon, as I write this, a professional football player was ejected from a game for committing the transgression of unnecessary roughness. This infraction should be taken seriously in a game where violence is not only legal, but desirable. I’ll leave it to the reader to imagine how unnecessary the roughness was if it resulted in an ejection. 
This afternoon, as I write this, a professional football player was ejected from a game for committing the transgression of unnecessary roughness. This infraction should be taken seriously in a game where violence is not only legal, but desirable. I’ll leave it to the reader to imagine how unnecessary the roughness was if it resulted in an ejection. 

It is self-evident to any thinking person that the human body is not designed to withstand the punishment of this game.  Keep in mind that most of us are only seeing the actual games, and not the hundreds of hours of brutal practicing.  I take care of an octogenarian who played for the Cleveland Browns decades ago. While this profession lifted him out of a Pennsylvania steel town, it is challenging for him to identify a part of his body that is working properly. The National Football League (NFL), which showed us all last year how they fumbled their domestic violence issues, has belatedly admitted what most first graders would readily recognize: Getting smashed in the head hundreds of times per season over many years is not good for the human brain. One must wonder about engaging in an activity that requires a helmet and body armor for protection.

Legalized violence

There are rules to govern this mayhem, and sometimes a player is kicked out.

Are errant physicians kicked out of the medical profession? Yes, it does happen, but these are rare events.  Some have argued that there is a ‘white coat wall of silence’ that protects physicians who need to be sanctioned or sidelined.  A few times a year, I receive a list of Ohio physicians who have been disciplined by the State Medical Board of Ohio. Most of these offenses involve personal substance abuse. ‘Pill mill’ doctors are also targeted.  Physicians who engaged in improper and inappropriate behavior with patients are on the list, as they should be.

Losing a medical license is the most serious professional sanction that a physician can receive.  Such a penalty should be implemented only for an egregious act, or a pattern of wrongdoing, provided that the physician has been afforded due process. 

When do readers think that a doctor should be tanked?  I’ll offer a few hypothetical scenarios below. Let me know if the physician is salvageable or should be cut loose.
 
  • A gastroenterologist misses a diagnosis of colon cancer three years in a row.
  • A surgeon refuses to repair a patient’s hernia because the patient has no insurance and cannot afford the operation.
  • A physician is a recovering alcoholic and is now found guilty of a DUI.
  • A review of a psychiatrist’s medical records confirm that 10 patients committed suicide in the past 36 months.
  • An internist is found guilty of domestic violence.  No drugs or alcohol are involved.
  • An investigative reporter discovers that an orthopedist was paid $250,000 last year to promote a medical device to colleagues across the country, and never disclosed this relationship.
  • A physician is discovered to be double billing Medicare over the past year.
  • A physician persists in asking one of his patients to date him.
Do these offenses merit surrendering a license?  Would this be unnecessary roughness?  
 

 

 
TAGGED:inflammatory foodslawMalpracticemedical ethicsmedical licensure
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

botox certification
Help Improve People’s Skin Health Via Botox Certification
Skin Specialties
July 22, 2025
Telemedicine Apps
Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
Health
July 20, 2025
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
Global Healthcare Policy & Law
July 17, 2025
paramedics in surgical gloves and masks
How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
Health care
July 16, 2025

You Might also Like

Evaluating Doctor Conduct
BusinessHealth ReformHospital AdministrationMedical EducationMedical EthicsNewsPolicy & LawPublic Health

Taking a Fresh Look at Disruptive Physician Conduct

September 17, 2014
Healthcare myths and facts
Medical EthicsMedical InnovationsSocial MediaWellness

BioPharma Beat: No, the Facts Don’t Always Speak for Themselves

July 14, 2014
Health careMedical Ethics

The Hidden Epidemic of Nursing Home Abuse

January 30, 2019
Policy & LawPublic Health

Here’s The Value Of Using A Medical Expert Witness

February 5, 2019
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?