SAN DIEGO (AP) – The Medical Board of California has rejected a bid to make physicians tell patients when they’re on probation.
The board on Friday turned down a Consumers Union request that doctors notify patients when they make appointments and in writing.
The board said it thought the requirements were too broad and might interfere with patient care.
Consumers Union says about 500 of the nearly 131,000 licensed physicians in California are on probation for misconduct ranging from poor record-keeping to drug abuse.
Doctors who violate terms of probation can lose their licenses.
The medical board makes probation information available on its website but Consumers Union says many patients don’t know how to access it.
The medical board did vote to look into ways of making the information more consumer-friendly.