Insights

<p>Surely if a doctor has gone to trial in a malpractice case and been ordered to pay millions by a judge or jury, this would catch the attention of the Illinois Division of Professional Regulation.</p> <p>This is what I was thinking when reading about some recent huge malpractice judgments against doctors in the Chicago area. I tried to see if any information about these payments showed up in the state’s professional <a href="https://www.idfpr.com/dpr/licenselookup/results.asp">license lookup</a> system.</p> <p>Every attempt ended in disappointment.</p>

<p>When I sent my last <a href="../../../../../../../../blogs/doctors-behaving-badly-illinois-obstetrician%E2%80%99s-malpractice-case-leaves-one-patient-victorious-">Doctors Behaving Badly</a> post to my editor, she responded with a bunch of great questions:</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>How is it possible to take down a major database that most states have?</em></p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>Does this mean no one can check their doctor online now?</em></p>

<p>The email press release I just received on <a href="http://www.cdph.ca.gov/Pages/NR10-041.aspx">an new epidemic of whooping cough in California</a> is a jaw-dropper:</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>The state is on pace to suffer the most illnesses and deaths due to pertussis, also known as whooping cough, in 50 years.</em></p>

<p>For medical malpractice attorneys in Chicago, Dr. Robert Levi-D’Ancona’s name sounds like victory. For patients, however, his name could become synonymous with a major patient safety defeat.</p>

<p>In a little more than two weeks, we will launch our 2010 National Health Journalism Fellowships. Of course, we hope and expect that the talented journalists who participate will produce great stories. But we will know this program has succeeded if it prompts participants to challenge conventional notions of what constitutes a health story. Seminar speakers will touch upon topics as varied as international trade and gang violence. But running through the Fellowships' weeklong extended conversation is a common theme: the links between Place and Health.</p>

<p>So it’s been three months already since health reform passed, and journalists around the country are still looking for ways to keep this story fresh. Earlier, I wrote about <a href="../../../../../../../../blogs/keeping-health-reform-coverage-fresh-lessons-top-journalists">lessons you can learn from some top &nbsp;Washington DC health reporters</a>, with an eye on Sept. 23, when the next set of new provisions takes effect.</p>

<p><em>Welcome to the inaugural post of Career GPS, ReportingonHealth's new blog about pursuing your passions while looking out for your pocketbook. Here, we will discuss career opportunities, growth and development for journalists and media professionals working on health topics. We'll talk about new kinds of media jobs and have Q&amp;As with people who have taken interesting turns in their careers. Please do join in the discussion by commenting and posting your own entries about your experiences.

<p>The Medical Board of California told Orange County Register health reporter Courtney Perkes that it was rare for a doctor to be disciplined, allowed to return to practice and then disciplined again. She wanted to see if that was actually true, and so she asked the board for every record of a doctor who had petitioned for a license reinstatement.

<p>Last night, a group of San Francisco Bay Area health journalists got some intriguing health reform story ideas from one of California’s better-known health policy experts, <a href="http://www.chcf.org/about/staff/marian-mulkey">Marian Mulkey</a> of the <a href="http://www.chcf.org/">California HealthCare Foundation</a>. &nbsp;</p>

<p>Waitressing proved good training for my freelance journalism career. I had to keep track of a lot of tables. Each customer wanted something different. Some sent their meals back with a snarky comments. I would get great tips on day and stiffed the next. Either way, I never seemed to make enough.<br />