Insights

<p>Medical boards from coast to coast are inconsistent, inefficient and ill equipped to monitor the hundreds of thousands of doctors licensed under their watch, Antidote’s investigation of every state board has found. There are some standouts, but, overall, they do a terrible job protecting patients and informing the public.</p> <p>It bears repeating that most doctors do a great job and are focused on one thing: helping their patients heal and lead healthier lives. The mission of this tour was to explore what happens to that minority of doctors who don’t follow the rules.</p>

<p>The final state in Antidote’s <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&amp;oe=UTF8&amp;msa=0&amp;msid=1… Behaving Badly tour</a> of state medical boards should have been <a href="../../../../../../../../blogs/wyoming-opens-arms-doc-run-criminal-past">Wyoming</a>.</p>

<p>The ReportingonHealth community been busy this year. For your holiday reading, here's a sampling of work that members have been most proud of in 2010.</p>

<p>In our last briefing of 2010: a controversy over reporting on chronic Lyme disease. Happy holidays!</p>

<p>Last week, I started listing Antidote’s 10 favorite stories of the past year, in no particular order. Here is the rest of the list.</p> <p>“<a href="http://www.propublica.org/topic/diagnosing-dialysis">Dialysis: High Costs and Hidden Perils of a Treatment Guaranteed to All</a>,” Robin Fields, <em>ProPublica</em>, November 2010</p>

<p>Are there some gaping holes in the PLOS placebo study in today's news? Find out in today's Daily Briefing!</p>

<p>Should all adults get tested for HIV? Get the latest on this debate and more news from our Daily Briefing.</p>

<p><strong>Plagiarism, psych wards and physician payments: Antidote’s favorite health stories of 2010</strong></p> <p>It’s time again for <em>Antidote </em>to list, in no particular order, my favorite health stories from the year. The first five are below. The next five will be posted later in the week.</p> <p>“<a href="http://www.baycitizen.org/health/story/napa-state-hospitals-grisly-insi… State Hospital's Grisly Inside Story</a>,” Katharine Mieszkowski, <em>The Bay Citizen, </em>December 2010</p>

<p>The CDC's recent food-borne illness stats aren't just about science — there's politics involved, too. Plus more from our Daily Briefing.</p>