THE DANGERS OF HIRING “FAKE DOCTORS”
Not long ago, I read an interesting article about fake doctors. The California State Medical Board is concerned enough about the problem that it is considering expanding their background investigations. As critical as health care is to people, one would think that making sure the credentials of every “alleged” physician are valid would be done as a matter of course!
It hasn’t been all that long ago that we did a very thorough background and reference check on a doctor who was being considered for a staff position with a large hospital. He really was a doctor, but he also had a serious substance abuse problem involving excessive self-medication. All three of his references, all of whom were also doctors, said they would never practice with him again.
The moral of the story is that doctors should also have their credentials and reputations checked before hiring one to provide healthcare services to others. Medicine is a noble profession, but it can still contain fakes and frauds.