Governor Maura Healey has appointed an industry insider and university professor to represent the public on the state\u2019s medical board, which has come under scrutiny for its lax approach to disciplining problem doctors.<\/p>\n
David Rosenbloom, 81, was tapped late last month to fill a long-vacant seat on the seven-person Board of Registration in Medicine. He ran Boston\u2019s public health system in the late 1970s and 80s, and later led a healthcare data analytics company, as well as a health insurance plan for people with severe medical conditions. He also serves as an emeritus professor at Boston University\u2019s School of Public Health, where he has focused on substance use disorder treatment and policy.<\/p>\n
Rosenbloom, of Boston, will fill one of two seats reserved for non-doctors on the seven-person board<\/a>. The other public slot is held by a national security and defense consultant, and the remaining positions are occupied by veteran physicians.<\/p>\n Healey spokesperson Karissa Hand said in an email that Rosenbloom was appointed to the oversight board \u201cbecause of his extensive experience in public health and his commitment to upholding high standards for physicians.\u201d <\/p>\n Hand declined to answer questions about why the seat was vacant for more than a year.<\/p>\n Last month, the Globe Spotlight Team published an investigation that found the board is slow to act and has become more lax in holding physicians to account. Discipline rates since 2014 have shrunk by more than half, according to the agency\u2019s data. <\/p>\n Serious actions like license revocations, forced resignations, and emergency suspensions have dropped by nearly 40 percent since 2021, compared to the prior four years, the Globe found. <\/p>\n In choosing Rosenbloom, Healey took a conventional approach, which drew criticism from patient safety advocates who fear medical boards are too beholden to doctors and medical institutions.<\/p>\n \u201cThe public has a different perspective than people who are in the industry,\u201d said Lisa McGiffert, a former director of Consumers Union Safe Patient Project. <\/p>\n \u201cA lot of the boards in my opinion seem to be more concerned about doctors\u2019 ability to continue practicing,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n Every medical board in the country has at least one seat for a member of the public, and some have chosen to appoint people whose family members have had adverse experiences with doctors. <\/p>\n In Massachusetts, the Board of Registration in Medicine is responsible for licensing and disciplining roughly 40,000 doctors.<\/p>\n An analysis by Public Citizen, a national consumer advocacy organization, found that the Massachusetts board ranks 38th in the country for how aggressively it disciplines doctors. <\/p>\n In a telephone interview, Rosenbloom said he had read the recent coverage, but that he had no opinion on the board\u2019s recent track record.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have a judgment,\u201d he said. \u201cI am aware of the commentary. I\u2019m going to learn more about what it means and how legitimate issues can be addressed.\u201d<\/p>\n Rosenbloom said he was still forming a view on how the medical board should operate, and what priorities he wanted to address during his board tenure. He acknowledged that his professional background, including his experience as a director and eventual board chairman for Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, would inform his perspective.<\/p>\n He said he has never been involved in a board complaint or investigation. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been very fortunate to have very good health care providers,\u201d he said. \u201cI have concerns for their health and happiness, for their ability to practice the way they think they need to practice.\u201d<\/p>\n Some states have begun appointing public members to specifically bring a more critical patient\u2019s perspective to the mix. <\/p>\n A handful of states, including Texas, explicitly prohibit health care providers from occupying public seats. In Rhode Island, four members of the state\u2019s 13-person medical board cannot be associated with the medical field at all.<\/p>\n Carol Cronin, chair of the Medical Board Roundtable at the nonprofit Patient Safety Action Network, said more consumer voices mean better medical boards.<\/p>\n \u201cIn terms of being able to significantly affect an outcome, it might be modest, but I do think a public member who is willing and able to speak up and raise concerns from their perspective \u2014 I think it\u2019s important,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s other ways of thinking about public members who have healthcare experience.\u201d<\/p>\n Elizabeth Koh can be reached at elizabeth.koh@globe.com<\/a> or on Signal at koh.20. Follow her @elizabethrkoh<\/a>. Liz Kowalczyk can be reached at lizbeth.kowalczyk@globe.com<\/a> or on Signal at kowalczyk.55.<\/p>\n