The Michael Skolnik Medical Transparency Act (the “Act”) was signed into law in 2007 and became effective January 1, 2008. The Act gives Colorado consumers access to information about their doctor’s license status and medical malpractice settlements and judgments via the
Colorado Board of Medical Examiners website. The purpose of the Act is to help consumers make more informed decisions when selecting a doctor. The Act was endorsed by the Colorado Medical Society, after wording was clarified to make it clear that only settlements or final judgments to medical malpractice claims would be made public, rather than the mere filing of a medical malpractice claim.
Pursuant to the Act, upon application for, or renewal of, a medical license in the State of Colorado, a doctor must provide the following information:
- any public disciplinary action taken by a medical board of any state or country;
- any agreement whereby the doctor temporarily ceased or restricted practice;
- any involuntary limitation on the doctor's privilege to practice at a hospital or clinic;
- any involuntary surrender of the doctor's registration with the Drug Enforcement Administration;
- any final criminal conviction or plea arrangement connected to a felony or crime of moral turpitude anywhere; and
- any final judgment, settlement or arbitration award for medical malpractice.
The Act is named after Michael Skolnik, who was 22 and studying to be a pediatric nurse when he blacked out one day in 2001. Skolnik underwent surgery by a neurosurgeon, and was left half-blind, partly paralyzed, psychotic, and with the reasoning ability of a third grader. Skolnik died three years later, having amassed $4.8 million in medical bills. His parents stated that had they known the neurosurgeon had a prior malpractice claim settlement in Georgia, they would have sought a different surgeon to perform the procedure. They later learned that the neurosurgeon had only done this procedure once before.
If you or someone you know is a victim of medical malpractice or medical negligence,
contact Paulsen & Armitage, LLC for assistance. Our attorneys fight for the rights of the injured and seek the maximum allowable compensation necessary to compensate our clients for the harm they have suffered at the hands of negligent or incompetent doctors, hospitals, and health care providers.
