phony "M.D.s"

[Weirdo]

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I didn't know people practicing oriental medicine can have a "M.D." attached to their last name. Apparently that's the case. I know that they didn't go to a u.s. medical school and or do residency training here. Can someone check on the legality of such a thing.

 

[gujuDoc]

I didn't know people practicing oriental medicine can have a "M.D." attached to their last name. Apparently that's the case. I know that they didn't go to a u.s. medical school and or do residency training here. Can someone check on the legality of such a thing.

I thought they have a degree called the D.O.M, as in doctor of oriental medicine, not an M.D.

 

[Weirdo]

that's what i thought too. But they are handing out business cards with the title m.d. Isn't this illegal. I mean, you certainly want patients to make the distinction.

 

[AcousticDoc]

who would you guys prefer for a doctor? a D.O.M or Dr. Nick with an MD from hollywood school of medicine from the simpsons?

 

[Weirdo]

seriously man. can people just attach an m.d. behind their last time because they act like a doctor. I think this would be a serious violation of physician interest. Anybody know about the legality of this

 

[gujuDoc]

I don't know the laws on this. I know a guy that went to an oriental medicine school, but he said he attaches D.O.M not M.D., so don't really know the laws on this issue.

 

[Weirdo]

anybody else know?

 

[tigress]

It's probably illegal. Why, do you want to turn him in? I agree that it's sort of scary, but hopefully most people have enough sense to realize that a person practicing oriental medicine isn't a real MD. But if you know somebody using the MD when they shouldn't, it's a tough call whether to turn them in. I guess if you feel he's really a danger it would be the appropriate thing to do.

 

[crazy_cavalier]

anybody else know?

Dude, relax. A false title is fraud. Throwing "MD" at the end of your name in such a frivolous matter will certainly invoke appropriate legal consequences, assuming that someone decides to file a suit.

Only those who are conferred a medical degree and have passed the corresponding license exams are legally entitled to practice traditional medicine in the US. I don't know about all this "new age" / spiritual / Far-East healing mumbo-jumbo, but if you call yourself an MD and you are not one, that is fraud, and you should be punished. End of discussion.

 

[clc8503]

I didn't know people practicing oriental medicine can have a "M.D." attached to their last name. Apparently that's the case. I know that they didn't go to a u.s. medical school and or do residency training here. Can someone check on the legality of such a thing.

It most definitely is illegal!!!!!! Something like this happened in Kansas back in 2004, when Oral and Maxiofacial dental surgeons were using the MD title to boost sales. Many Oral and Maxiofacial surgeons do hold a combined DDS/MD (depending on their dental program and school), since many dental schools combine MD training in their oral surgical residencies. However, many other schools out their do not combine the two degrees in their oral surgical residency, since an oral surgeon only has to a hold a DDS to be licensed.

Most of these Oral surgeons did hold a medical degree. However, most of them held a degree from the University of Health Sciences Antigua (Caribbean school). They held a medical degree (MD) but never took the USMLE 1 or 2. They just went there and got their degree in medicine. They turned around a hung the MD title on their shingles. The Kansas Court of Appeals along with the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts ordered that the dentists, who were doing this, to stop. They claimed that it deceived patients into thinking that they were licensed medical doctors.

If a dentist that actually holds a medical degree, but is not licensed, cannot use the MD title, then I assure you that it is illegal for someone who practices Oriental medicine that does not even have a medical degree(or hold a medical license) to use the title.

Here’s the link
http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/10/18/prl21018.htm

 

[OSUdoc08]

Dude, relax. A false title is fraud. Throwing "MD" at the end of your name in such a frivolous matter will certainly invoke appropriate legal consequences, assuming that someone decides to file a suit.

Only those who are conferred a medical degree and have passed the corresponding license exams are legally entitled to practice traditional medicine in the US. I don't know about all this "new age" / spiritual / Far-East healing mumbo-jumbo, but if you call yourself an MD and you are not one, that is fraud, and you should be punished. End of discussion.

Exactly. An MD is a degree, obtainable outside of the U.S., where there isn't as much scrutiny on education as here.

You can be an MD, but not be licensed to practice medicine.

 

[clc8503]

bump

 

[hardy]

I know that they didn't go to a u.s. medical school and or do residency training here. Can someone check on the legality of such a thing.

You should realize that there are actually some licensed MDs who practice oriental medicine in a way that you would not think a MD would. So if you say that you "know" I hope you really know and don't just assume that they are not licensed.

 

[docbill]

Can't you check the state medical association for registration and their right to practice medicine.

It is possible that this person got an MD from China/Asia (for example), came to the states and could not practice. Thus did training in Oriental Medicine and is practicing that. But chooses to put MD after his name to get more bus. Does your state have oriental medicine association? Or just contact the medical association. That would be one way to check it out.

I know in academia there are foreign MD graduates (who can't practice in N.America), so they earn a PhD and take a research job. But they put MD, PhD on their cards. Also there are many who don't earn a PhD, working as techinitians, and can still put MD after their name on publications etc...

 

[Weirdo]

You should realize that there are actually some licensed MDs who practice oriental medicine in a way that you would not think a MD would. So if you say that you "know" I hope you really know and don't just assume that they are not licensed.

i'm positive they are not licensed M.D.s and I hear the suppposed oriental medicine board is really loose in handing out degree(pretty much anyone who pays can go to a school and graduate in 3 years). No, i'm not planning to turn these people in. I'm scared though that patients will confuse the two and actually think they are real M.D.s. I guess they won't feel the obligation to change the title until somebody brings a lawsuit. But I agree their should be better regulation over this matter. They really hand out business cards with an M.D. attached to their last name.

 

[Weirdo]

what do u think is the officiating body i can ask about this.

 

[Phil Anthropist]

http://dbapps.ama-assn.org/aps/amahg.htm

Click on "Search for a Physician" on the right side

Go from there

The database should include all currently licensed MDs and DOs in the United States

 

[LADoc00]

I don't know the laws on this. I know a guy that went to an oriental medicine school, but he said he attaches D.O.M not M.D., so don't really know the laws on this issue.

Putting MD after your name is highly illegal unless you hold such a degree, along with dressing like a police officer, wearing a military uniform and such. I knew a premed dork in undergrad who put MD on his bus cards and credit cards then got busted.


Hahahahahaah.......idiot DDS people!

Four of the five board members of the American College of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons, of which Dr. Thomas is president-elect, use the MD title. None hold medical licenses.

 

[OSUdoc08]

http://dbapps.ama-assn.org/aps/amahg.htm

Click on "Search for a Physician" on the right side

Go from there

The database should include all currently licensed MDs and DOs in the United States

This looks like it only contains AMA members.

 

[OSUdoc08]

Putting MD after your name is highly illegal unless you hold such a degree, along with dressing like a police officer, wearing a military uniform and such. I knew a premed dork in undergrad who put MD on his bus cards and credit cards then got busted.


Hahahahahaah.......idiot DDS people!

True, but having a degree, and being licensed are 2 different things. You can get an MD degree easily on an island somewhere.

 

[SomeGuy]

Definitely illegal. Every state should have a law that regulates professions. In my jurisdiction, you must be licensed to say you're an MD. You cannot call yourself a teacher unless you are licensed to be one. You cannot even start up a "school " unless you are accredited. If you aren't, then you have to call yourself an "institute" or other such term. Same goes for "pharmacist" and "Attorney."

Call your state's licensing board/college and they'll likely be quick to deal with it, after all, true MDs pay lots of professional fees to them to do this sort of thing.

 

[Phil Anthropist]

This looks like it only contains AMA members.

It contains both MDs and DOs. The database is not restricted to AMA members; practicing MDs that are not members of the AMA are included as well.

From the website:

AMA Physician Select provides basic professional information on virtually every licensed physician in the United States and its possessions, including more than 690,000 doctors of medicine (MD) and doctors of osteopathy or osteopathic medicine (DO).

To give you an example that may suit your interest, I just ran a physician search for Emergency Medicine physicians in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I got 57 hits. Included in the first page (first fifteen hits) are two osteopathic physicians, the second page has one, the third page has seven, etc.

 

[OSUdoc08]

It contains both MDs and DOs. The database is not restricted to AMA members; practicing MDs that are not members of the AMA are included as well.

From the website:

To give you an example that may suit your interest, I just ran a physician search for Emergency Medicine physicians in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I got 57 hits. Included in the first page (first fifteen hits) are two osteopathic physicians, the second page has one, the third page has seven, etc.

I just did the same search for both Tulsa and Oklahoma City, and it only contains a couple of physicians that I know of. It doesn't contain any residents, and is missing all but one faculty member at both emergency medicine residency programs in Oklahoma.

It does yield quite a few physicians, but is by far not a comprehensive list.

 

[Phil Anthropist]

I just did the same search for both Tulsa and Oklahoma City, and it only contains a couple of physicians that I know of. It doesn't contain any residents, and is missing all but one faculty member at both emergency medicine residency programs in Oklahoma.

It does yield quite a few physicians, but is by far not a comprehensive list.

The AMA search goes by the residential address of the physicians. So if a physician lives in a suburb of Chicago such as Oak Brook, but practices in Chicago, he/she won't come up on a search for physicians in Chicago. Likewise, physicians who reside in a neighboring city like Edmond will not come up on a search for physicians in Oklahoma City.

Regarding residents, I don't know whether or not they're included on the database.

If you are looking specifically for osteopathic physicians, the AOA has a similar DO-only search that is probably better to use: http://www.osteopathic.org/index.cfm?PageID=findado_main
If you search for Emergency Medicine physicians (primary specialty) in Oklahoma (without specifying a city), perhaps you'll get the results you're looking for.

Neither database claims to be 100% complete or accurate, but both should be pretty comprehensive. Both provide information for patients, but the info could also be helpful for those seeking physicians to shadow (or learning more about the background of the physicians they're shadowing).

 

[Sanctuary]

i'm positive they are not licensed M.D.s and I hear the suppposed oriental medicine board is really loose in handing out degree(pretty much anyone who pays can go to a school and graduate in 3 years). No, i'm not planning to turn these people in. I'm scared though that patients will confuse the two and actually think they are real M.D.s. I guess they won't feel the obligation to change the title until somebody brings a lawsuit. But I agree their should be better regulation over this matter. They really hand out business cards with an M.D. attached to their last name.

I'd be willing to wager that this person holds an MD degree from somewhere and then went into oriental medicine. Where I am, many oriental medicine physicians hold MDs as well..

Something to think about before diving off the deep end..

 

[Law2Doc]

I'd be willing to wager that this person holds an MD degree from somewhere and then went into oriental medicine. Where I am, many oriental medicine physicians hold MDs as well..

Something to think about before diving off the deep end..

Very possible I would think. I know a couple of licensed dentists who have an acupuncturist side businesses, so I see no reason why it would be impossible for a licensed MD to run a side business in oriental medicine.
But I agree with the former posts which indicate that if the person is not a licensed physician, then it would be illegal under virtually all state laws to use the MD credential. (It would also be fraud and any dissatisifed patient could sue them civilly for at least their money back under this basis as well).

 

[OSUdoc08]

The AMA search goes by the residential address of the physicians. So if a physician lives in a suburb of Chicago such as Oak Brook, but practices in Chicago, he/she won't come up on a search for physicians in Chicago. Likewise, physicians who reside in a neighboring city like Edmond will not come up on a search for physicians in Oklahoma City.

Regarding residents, I don't know whether or not they're included on the database.

If you are looking specifically for osteopathic physicians, the AOA has a similar DO-only search that is probably better to use: http://www.osteopathic.org/index.cfm?PageID=findado_main
If you search for Emergency Medicine physicians (primary specialty) in Oklahoma (without specifying a city), perhaps you'll get the results you're looking for.

Neither database claims to be 100% complete or accurate, but both should be pretty comprehensive. Both provide information for patients, but the info could also be helpful for those seeking physicians to shadow (or learning more about the background of the physicians they're shadowing).

Ok, thanks.

 

[Weirdo]

Very possible I would think. I know a couple of licensed dentists who have an acupuncturist side businesses, so I see no reason why it would be impossible for a licensed MD to run a side business in oriental medicine.
But I agree with the former posts which indicate that if the person is not a licensed physician, then it would be illegal under virtually all state laws to use the MD credential. (It would also be fraud and any dissatisifed patient could sue them civilly for at least their money back under this basis as well).

I know for sure he's not a licensed m.d.