Cleveland Attorney Discusses the Dangers of Unlicensed Doctors October 29, 2012.

Medical Boards Allow Doctors to Practice Despite Malpractice Lawsuits, Deaths

August 20, 2013, USA Today reported that medical boards throughout the country have allowed doctors to keep practicing medicine despite making mistakes that have cost lives.

"Many of the doctors have been barred by hospitals or other medical facilities; hundreds have paid millions of dollars to resolve malpractice claims. Yet their medical licenses — and their ability to inflict harm — remain intact," the article stated.

In fact, between 2001 and 2001, almost 6,000 doctors had privileges taken away, but only 48 percent of those doctors were fined or suspended.

"Even the most severe misconduct goes unpunished," USA Today stated. "About 900 [doctors] were cited for substandard care, negligence, incompetence or malpractice — and kept practicing with no licensure action."

Unlicensed Physicians

More and more often, the media is reporting that people are practicing medicine and plastic surgery without a license. The case that may immediately come to mind is that of a woman who paid $700 for butt lift injections that turned out to be "a bizarre concoction of cement, super glue, mineral oil and Fix-A-Flat tire inflator and sealant," per ABC News in 2011.

NBC news recently reported that uninsured and uninsured people are particularly vulnerable to this scam.

Also, "It’s common knowledge that fake doctors market their services in the Spanish-language community [since] it may be hard for many low-income residents to find proper health care," the article stated.

Unfortunately, it’s difficult to hold a back room doctor accountable for his or her actions if the person who was injured doesn’t come forward, a personal injury lawyer stated.

If you’ve been treated by an unlicensed physician, medical malpractice attorney Chris Mellino welcomes you to contact our Cleveland, Ohio, office with any questions you may have.

Chris and Tom are respected throughout northeast Ohio for their ability to get to the bottom of what happened. In fact, Chris has been involved in several landmark cases, including Moskovitz v. Mt. Sinai Medical Center (1994) and Watkins_v._Cleveland_Clinic_Foundation (1998). In the latter, he and his previous partner were awarded the largest verdict in the state that year.

Since 2010, Mellino Law Firm has been the only medical malpractice law firm in Cleveland to be accepted into Primerus, which screens potential members by speaking to judges, other lawyers, bar associations, clients, and insurance carriers about a firm’s integrity, work product, fee structure, education, civility, and community service. Contact us today for a free consultation.