Last year, less than 30 medical professionals in Illinois were disciplined by the state’s regulatory agency according to a Chicago Tribune article. However, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), disciplined more than triple that number of physicians when responding to investigations beginning in other states. This leads to the unsettling conclusion that the IDFPR may not be allotting enough resources to the task of investigating and punishing doctors with a track record of error and harm. For a state agency devoted to protecting the public from negligence, this seems like a high priority, but data collected by the Tribune points to the reality that the agency is most effective when using the investigations and allegations brought forth from other states’ organizations.
To read more by Karisa King, click to see the Chicago Tribune article here.