Physicians' Group Sues the Texas Medical Board

Brooks Schuelke

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As part of Texas' 2003 tort reform, the Texas Medical Board was given more resources and more powers to police doctors. Where "regulation" through medical malpractice cases decreased, the TMB was supposed to take up the slack to help keep Texans safe.

And the TMB started going after doctors. So much so that physicians groups asked legislators to hold hearings on the new TMB enforcement. The first hearing, held in October, was an 11 hour affair where emotions ran high. But apparently, the physicians weren't satisfied. Earlier this week, a national physicians' group filed suit against the Texas Medical Board Among other things, the suit alleges the the TMB officials have numerous conflicts of interest, make arbitrary rulings on administrative matters, have breached physicians' privacy by leaking complaints to the press, and have retaliated against physicians critical of the TMB.

I don't know who is right in this fight. But I do know that the story has the potential to impact medical malpractice cases for quite some time.