At this link you can find what action the Texas state medical board took against these particular physicians for their violations. You'll notice that very few actually resulted in a license revocation:
http://www.tmb.state.tx.us/news/press/2010/021710.php
Some choice cases that sounded interesting to me :
Olmsted, William Robert, M.D., Lic. #J1550, Georgetown TX
On February 3, 2010, the Board temporarily suspended without notice the license of Dr. Olmsted after determining that Dr. Olmsted's continuation in the practice of medicine presents a continuing threat to the public welfare. The action was based on Dr. Olmsted's failure to comply with a 2009 agreed order entered into with the Board requiring him to submit to an independent psychiatric evaluation by a Board-appointed psychiatrist within 30 days of the appointment of the psychiatrist and to continue with any treatment recommended by the psychiatrist. The Board found evidence that Dr. Olmsted continues to engage in a pattern of disregard for the 2009 agreed order. The 2009 agreed order followed Dr. Olmsted's 2006 arrest by Dallas police alleging indecency with a child, and a later plea of no contest to a charge of child indecency by contact, a second-degree felony, which required him to register as a sex offender and placed him on deferred adjudication. The Temporary Suspension (Without Notice of Hearing) will remain in effect until the Board takes further action.
Dr. Olmsted pled no contest to sexual abuse, and did not lose his license or go to jail. It appears that if he had shown up for his appointment with a psychiatrist, he would not have lost his license even temporarily.
Khan, Nameem Ullah, M.D., Lic. #L6235, Amarillo TX
On February 5, 2010, the Board and Dr. Khan entered into a mediated agreed order of public reprimand barring Dr. Khan from performing conscious sedation and requiring Dr. Khan to complete a formal education program in conscious sedation within two years; and complete 20 hours of CME in orthopedic emergencies and pain management. The Board's action was based on Dr. Khan's failure to meet the standard of care by use of inappropriate anesthesia agents and procedures for sedation for a patient with a dislocated shoulder. As a result of Dr. Khan's action the patient died.
Dr. Khan apparently did things wrong and killed a patient. Still licensed.
Anabtawi, Isam Nazmi, M.D., Lic. #D5588, Port Arthur TX
On February 5, 2010, the Board and Dr. Anabtawi entered into an agreed order of public reprimand requiring Dr. Anabtawi to complete five hours of CME in ethics within one year and pay an administrative penalty of $8,000. The Board's action was based on Dr. Anabtawi's indictment on 150 felonious counts of health care fraud and, in lieu of trial, entrance into a federal 18-month pretrial diversion program.
What's a little fraud between friends?
To make a long story short : if you earn a medical license, you generally have to do something really extreme before they'll completely revoke it.
Like poison your wife with cyanide or something. Most of the time, it sounds like you have to say you're sorry and do some remedial training or counseling. Overall, this probably is a good thing. There's such a shortage of doctors that society probably benefits more than it loses by having some of the sketchier physicians continue practicing. Near the bottom, they have the actual revocations. Generally, the physicians who actually lose their licenses didn't do what the medical board told them to do, or violated their probation somehow. Or surrendered their license due to illness. I saw almost no cases where the medical board took someone's license without having given them second, third, fourth chances.
In general, nearly all of the cases here were for crime, failing to maintain good medical records, or for prescribing addictive drugs inappropriately.
