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https://www.politico.com/news/2022/02/01/covid-misinfo-docs-vaccines-00003383
Medical boards get pushback as they try to punish doctors for Covid misinformation
Medical boards have sanctioned eight physicians since January 2021 for spreading coronavirus-related misinformation, according to the Federation of State Medical Boards.
By Darius Tahir
02/01/2022 04:30 AM EST
Medical boards and other regulators across the country are scrambling to penalize doctors who spread misinformation about vaccines or promote unproven cures for Covid-19. But they are unsure whether they’ll prevail over actions by state lawmakers who believe the boards are overreaching.
In Maui, the state medical board filed complaints against the state’s chief health officer and another physician after they supported Covid-19 treatments federal health officials warned against. In Florida, the nominee for state surgeon general refused to directly answer on the effectiveness and safety of the coronavirus vaccine — and that’s after a local doctor filed a complaint to the state’s medical boards. In Idaho, local GOP officials appointed a pathologist who promoted unproven virus treatments to a local public health board, despite complaints from his peers to state regulators.
In all, medical boards have sanctioned eight physicians since January 2021 for spreading coronavirus-related misinformation, according to the Federation of State Medical Boards, which has recommended that health officials consider action against medical professionals who dispense false medical claims in public forums. The eight penalized doctors, who’ve been hit with discipline from suspension to revocation of licenses, represent a surprising figure, considering the time it takes for state boards to mete out punishment. The targets of investigations have cited their own scientific expertise in recommending alternative courses of treatment...
Medical boards get pushback as they try to punish doctors for Covid misinformation
Medical boards have sanctioned eight physicians since January 2021 for spreading coronavirus-related misinformation, according to the Federation of State Medical Boards.
By Darius Tahir
02/01/2022 04:30 AM EST
Medical boards and other regulators across the country are scrambling to penalize doctors who spread misinformation about vaccines or promote unproven cures for Covid-19. But they are unsure whether they’ll prevail over actions by state lawmakers who believe the boards are overreaching.
In Maui, the state medical board filed complaints against the state’s chief health officer and another physician after they supported Covid-19 treatments federal health officials warned against. In Florida, the nominee for state surgeon general refused to directly answer on the effectiveness and safety of the coronavirus vaccine — and that’s after a local doctor filed a complaint to the state’s medical boards. In Idaho, local GOP officials appointed a pathologist who promoted unproven virus treatments to a local public health board, despite complaints from his peers to state regulators.
In all, medical boards have sanctioned eight physicians since January 2021 for spreading coronavirus-related misinformation, according to the Federation of State Medical Boards, which has recommended that health officials consider action against medical professionals who dispense false medical claims in public forums. The eight penalized doctors, who’ve been hit with discipline from suspension to revocation of licenses, represent a surprising figure, considering the time it takes for state boards to mete out punishment. The targets of investigations have cited their own scientific expertise in recommending alternative courses of treatment...
