Credentialing & Privileging | 02.19.20
Dozens of Doctors With Criminal Histories Licensed to Practice in Tennessee
by NAMSS Staff
WMC Action News 5 (02/10/20) Richard, Brandon
A WMC Action News 5 investigation has found dozens of physicians and medical professionals with criminal histories who are licensed to practice in Tennessee. Before doctors and certain support staffers can see patients in the Volunteer State, they must first obtain a license from the state's Board of Medical Examiners. WMC Action News 5's team reviewed five years of medical examiners' board meetings. According to investigators, the minutes from those meetings show at least 50 applicants, primarily doctors, admitted to having a criminal history. Most were the result of alcohol abuse, with at least 12 saying they'd been arrested or convicted for DUI. WMC further confirmed three applicants served time in federal prison for Medicare fraud. The Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners has since issued the following statement: "The Board of Medical Examiners looks at these situations on a case-by-case basis depending on the applicant's record and the timeframe of the charges. The board will often require an evaluation from the Tennessee Medical Foundation and use their recommendations in decision making regarding the license."
Read the full story from WMC Action News 5.