Peter C. Harvey, Attorney General

Division of Consumer Affairs
Reni Erdos, Director

For Immediate Release:
June 23, 2004

For Further Information Contact:
Genene Morris, Jeff Lamm
973-504-6327

NEWARK — Effective today, consumers can access from one central location important background information about physicians and podiatrists who hold active licenses in New Jersey, Consumer Affairs Director Reni Erdos announced.

By logging onto www.njdoctorlist.com, consumers can find out, among other things, how long a physician or podiatrist has been practicing, where he or she went to medical school and whether the physician or podiatrist has ever been the subject of disciplinary action or has made payments stemming from a medical malpractice case.

The New Jersey Healthcare Consumer Information Act, enacted in June 2003, requires Consumer Affairs to collect and maintain certain information relating to physicians and podiatrists and make the data available to the public in the form of profiles.

"By compiling and disclosing information on physicians and podiatrists on one site, we are empowering consumers," Director Erdos said."The New Jersey Health Care Profile site is designed to be a one-stop location where the public can find valuable information, such as the doctor's training, areas of specialization, and disciplinary and malpractice history, as well as address and phone number."

The law requires each profile of a physician or podiatrist to include:

• The name of all medical schools attended and date of graduation;
• Graduate medical education, including all internships, residencies and fellowships;
  year first licensed;
• year first licensed in New Jersey;
• a description of any criminal convictions of certain crimes within the most recent 10 years;
• a description of any final disciplinary actions taken by the Board of Medical Examiners or other licensing boards in other states within the most recent 10 years; and
• all medical malpractice court judgments, medical malpractice arbitration awards and settlements of medical malpractice claims reported to the Board within the most recent five years.

Each profile will also include, at the practitioner's request, the names of the hospitals where the physician or podiatrist has privileges; whether the physician or podiatrist participates in the Medicaid program or accepts assignment under the Medicare program; as well as information regarding specialty; board certification; any translating services or languages other than English spoken by the physician or podiatrist; office hours; and accessibility of the practitioner's office to people with disabilities.

"Such transparency is essential and extremely beneficial to consumers," Director Erdos added. "This is data we believe the public is entitled to have to use to make informed decisions."

To access the profiles, log onto www.njdoctorlist.com. Consumers can search for doctors or podiatrists by name, field of medicine, hospital, county or municipality. The site provides search tips as well as a glossary of terms.