Reference of mediocre doctor

[nexus73]

I have received a reference for a doctor I worked with previously. A very nice person, and not a bad doctor, but not really all that good either. Sometimes a bit difficult with patients and sometimes would hear about complaints from patients about his approach with them. He was a good diagnostician and used evidenced based treatment, not bad outcomes or lawsuits. I would prefer to just give a generic good reference, and not get into any potentially negative details. Are there any examples of doctors filling out these forms and facing consequences for not reporting certain concerns?

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[wolfvgang22]

If you don't fell comfortable giving a positive reference, don't give a reference. Let the doctor know you cannot provide references so they can list someone else as a reference.

 

[Sushirolls]

Sounds petty. This is just a waste / bureaucracy form.
Give the good review and move on.
This is isn't a resident or med student.

"He was a good diagnostician and used evidenced based treatment, not bad outcomes or lawsuits." That is sufficient for a good review.

 

[Bartelby]

I have never heard of doctors ending up in trouble for failing to report concerns, but I suspect if someone ends up in trouble for that it would be something along the lines of not reporting that the person shows up drunk to work, or not reporting blatant malpractice. Things like not reporting occasional vague patient complaints (when reviewing that physician's work shows that they met the standard of care) seem extremely unlikely to lead to a lawsuit.

 

[robellis]

I have received a reference for a doctor I worked with previously. A very nice person, and not a bad doctor, but not really all that good either. Sometimes a bit difficult with patients and sometimes would hear about complaints from patients about his approach with them. He was a good diagnostician and used evidenced based treatment, not bad outcomes or lawsuits. I would prefer to just give a generic good reference, and not get into any potentially negative details. Are there any examples of doctors filling out these forms and facing consequences for not reporting certain concerns?

People on this forum are the most paranoid bunch it’s hilarious…no you’re not gonna get sued for recommending your average friend. You’re not gonna get sued for recommending you’re extremely bad friend either..it’s the boards job to determine if he can practice not yours..aside from clear abhorrent behavior recommend and move on

 

[thumbz]

Yeah at the end of the day your recommendation is nothing more than an opinion. And don't worry, everyone can read between the lines. If you write "He treated patients in a competent manner" people will know you didn't jive with his personality. If you write "he was an average clinician" we all know this means significantly below average. "He came to work on time" means you think he's a terrible doctor.

The average reference is something along the lines of "Dr. X is an excellent doctor who is loved by his patients. I would love the opportunity to have him as my colleague". This literally translates to anything from an average doc and human to a true asset to the profession.

 

[NickNaylor]

What kind of "reference" is this? If this is a reference for credentialing at a hospital, just fill it out - as others mentioned, this is a bureaucratic obstacle more than anything else.

If you're actually writing a formal LOR for some other reason and don't feel that you can give an honestly positive assessment, then refuse to write the letter. If you don't feel comfortable telling them why you don't want to write the letter, tell them you've got a lot going on and don't think you can get it done in a reasonable time.

Based on what you described, doesn't sound like there's anything super concerning here. But, ultimately, you're not compelled to provide recommendations if you don't feel comfortable providing one, or even if you just don't want to. I wouldn't worry about liability unless you have incontrovertible knowledge of outright malpractice, which it doesn't sound like you have.

 

[FlowRate]

Sounds like this is for credentialing. Would you rather they hire this doctor or whoever their second choice was? Or, potentially worse, a midlevel?