Public Citizen · FSMB · 2021-2023 · LEIE August 2026
Physician disciplinary actions by state
How aggressively does each state discipline its physicians? We rank all 51 jurisdictions by serious medical-board actions per 1,000 licensed physicians, using Public Citizen and FSMB data for 2021-2023.
Compare a state board’s discipline rate
Place a state’s Public Citizen serious-action rate against the national rate or rankable median. This describes board-enforcement intensity, not physician misconduct or patient safety.
The short answer
Ohio leads the serious-action rate; California leads serious-action volume (Public Citizen HRG 2021-2023).
Public Citizen Health Research Group and FSMB data put the national serious-action rate at 0.81 per 1,000 licensed physicians for 2021-2023 (3,735 actions across 51 jurisdictions). Higher rates measure board enforcement intensity, not misconduct prevalence. Rate leaders and volume leaders are not the same states. Separately, the live HHS OIG LEIE extract lists 83,695 federal healthcare-program exclusions.
Rate vs volume
According to the Public Citizen Health Research Group HRG 2021-2023 tables joined to the FSMB physician census, Ohio leads the serious-action RATE at 1.82 per 1,000 physicians (2.2x the national 0.81), while California leads VOLUME with 364 serious actions. Rate #1 is not volume #1. HHS OIG LEIE is a separate extract (83,695 federal exclusions).
- 1.82
- Ohio rate /1k
- 364
- California serious actions
- 0.81
- National rate /1k
- 83,695
- LEIE exclusions (August 2026)
Rates are annual averages of serious public board actions (2021-2023) over licensed physicians. Higher rates describe board enforcement intensity, not prevalence of misconduct. LEIE counts are the live federal extract.
How 51 jurisdictions split by serious-action rate band
Exclusive rate bands across every Public Citizen / FSMB jurisdiction in the extract, not the top-N enforcement ladder below.
According to the Public Citizen Health Research Group, state medical boards took 3,735 serious disciplinary actions against physicians nationwide from 2021 to 2023. See our methodology for the full source list. HHS OIG LEIE, refreshed most recently in August 2026, is a separate federal-exclusion extract (83,695 rows).
State rankings of doctor discipline rates per 1k physicians (2021-2023), from Public Citizen + FSMB data, with guides to verify actions.
Top 6 States: Discipline Rate Disparity vs National Baseline
Each bar shows a state's serious-discipline rate relative to the national average of 0.81 actions per 1,000 physicians. The dial isolates the #1 state's multiple of that same baseline.
Disparity ratio: state rate ÷ national rate
Highest enforcement rates
Serious disciplinary actions per 1,000 physicians (Public Citizen HRG 2021-2023). Volume leaders live on each state page.
| # | State | Rate /1k | Serious actions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OhioState Medical Board of Ohio | 1.82 | 290 |
| 2 | WisconsinWisconsin Medical Examining Board | 1.49 | 144 |
| 3 | North DakotaNorth Dakota Board of Medicine | 1.39 | 24 |
| 4 | MichiganMichigan Board of Medicine | 1.37 | 186 |
| 5 | IllinoisIllinois Dept. of Financial and Professional Regulation - Medicine | 1.35 | 230 |
| 6 | AlabamaAlabama Board of Medical Examiners | 1.34 | 83 |
| 7 | KentuckyKentucky Board of Medical Licensure | 1.29 | 87 |
| 8 | WashingtonWashington State Medical Commission | 1.17 | 116 |
Types of Disciplinary Actions
From most to least severe, actions taken by state medical boards
Had license to provide health care revoked or suspended by a state licensing authority, or surrendered license while a formal disciplinary proceeding was pending.
Convicted of a criminal offense related to the delivery of an item or service under Medicare, Medicaid, or other state health care program.
Convicted of a criminal offense relating to neglect or abuse of patients in connection with the delivery of a health care item or service.
Convicted of a felony relating to fraud, theft, embezzlement, breach of fiduciary responsibility, or other financial misconduct in a health care program.
Convicted of a felony relating to the unlawful manufacture, distribution, prescription, or dispensing of a controlled substance.
Default on health education loan or scholarship obligations, or default by managed care entity on contractual obligations.
Entity owned or controlled by an individual who has been excluded, or who has a specified ownership or control interest in a sanctioned entity.
Convicted of a misdemeanor relating to fraud, theft, embezzlement, or other financial misconduct in a health care program.
Suspended or debarred under federal or state law from participating in any federal or state procurement or non-procurement program.
Committed an act described in the anti-kickback statute, Stark law, or engaged in other prohibited referral or billing practices.
Convicted of fraud or false claims in any federal or state program.
Convicted of a criminal offense related to the delivery of items or services under a federal health care program (alternative citation).
Failed to provide medically necessary items or services when obligated under federal health care programs.
Convicted of a misdemeanor relating to the unlawful manufacture, distribution, or dispensing of a controlled substance.
Excluded based on recommendation of a Peer Review Organization (PRO) / Quality Improvement Organization (QIO).
Individual who had a direct or indirect ownership or control interest in a sanctioned entity at the time of the conduct that was the basis for the sanction.
Breached terms of a prior settlement agreement with HHS OIG.
Breached terms of a Corporate Integrity Agreement (CIA) with HHS OIG.
Failed to supply requested information about payments or business transactions, subcontractors, or suppliers.
Excluded for a pattern of submitting claims or billing for services not provided as claimed.
Making false statements or misrepresenting material facts to federal agencies regarding health care matters.
Failed to grant immediate access to OIG for audit, records examination, or program evaluation.
Lowest enforcement rates
Fewest serious disciplinary actions per 1,000 physicians among rankable boards
| # | State | Rate /1k | Serious actions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | IndianaIN | 0.17 | 16 |
| 50 | GeorgiaGA | 0.24 | 30 |
| 49 | PennsylvaniaPA | 0.30 | 60 |
| 48 | DelawareDE | 0.31 | 7 |
| 47 | South CarolinaSC | 0.34 | 25 |
In-demand board and exclusion lookups
Search interest clusters on specific state medical-board discipline pages, federal exclusion categories, and verification guides. These hubs match the queries sending the most impressions to PlainDiscipline.
- Indiana medical board disciplinary actions Serious-action rate and board contact
- Illinois medical board disciplinary actions Board enforcement rate vs national baseline
- Delaware board of medical licensure discipline data Public Citizen rate for Delaware physicians
- Corporate integrity agreement LEIE exclusions Federal breach-of-CIA exclusion category
- Browse all federal exclusion action types HHS OIG LEIE categories ranked by volume
- How to check if a doctor has disciplinary actions Step-by-step verification using official sources
Patient Resources
Understand physician discipline and protect yourself as a patient
Free tools and step-by-step process for verifying physician background.
Understand the difference between revocations, suspensions, and less serious sanctions.
The complaint process, investigation timeline, and what triggers board action.
Explore the data
More ways to read state medical-board discipline and federal-exclusion records
Citable board-rate findings plus the live federal exclusion extract
Per-state board contacts, discipline rate, and federal exclusions
What each federal-exclusion category means and how common it is
Federal exclusions ranked across every LEIE provider category
Data Sources
Discipline rate data is sourced from Public Citizen Health Research Group publication "Ranking of the Rate of State Medical Boards' Serious Disciplinary Actions" (HRG 2021-2023 report, covering 2021–2023). Physician count data is from the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) Physician Data Summary Statistics 2023. Board contact information sourced from official state government websites.
The state and national rates above are aggregate statistical data, not individual physician records. Named individual entries shown on this site's action-type pages come from a separate source, the public federal HHS OIG LEIE exclusion list, and are not a comprehensive record for any specific physician. For physician-specific license status, contact the state board directly using the links on each state page.
About this data
How PlainDiscipline works, and why you can trust these numbers
What this site is
PlainDiscipline tracks physician disciplinary action rates across all 51 US states, using Public Citizen Health Research Group's analysis of state medical board serious-disciplinary-action data alongside Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) licensed-physician counts. Every rate on this site traces back to these two federal-adjacent public data sources.
Editorial process
- Source. Pull the Public Citizen Health Research Group state-medical-board disciplinary-action ranking alongside FSMB licensed-physician counts.
- Verify. Each state figure keeps its original source identifiers, so every rate traces back to the issuing organization's own record.
- Publish. Compile per-state disciplinary-action rates and federal exclusion data in context, always linking back to the official source so readers can verify our numbers against it.
Editorial independence & corrections
PlainDiscipline is an independent publisher and is not affiliated with Public Citizen, the Federation of State Medical Boards, or any state medical board. We do not accept payment, sponsorship, or promoted placement. Found a figure that looks wrong? Use the contact page with the page URL and the value that looks off, we compare it against the published source and correct our pipeline (not just the single page) if the error is on our side. See our editorial & corrections policy and methodology for the full process and source attribution.
Frequently asked
What are physician disciplinary actions?
Disciplinary actions are formal sanctions taken by state medical boards against physicians who violate medical practice laws. These can include license revocations, suspensions, probation, fines, or required education. Actions are reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank and become part of a physician's permanent record.
Where does this data come from?
Our data comes from Public Citizen's analysis of the National Practitioner Data Bank and the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB). These are the most comprehensive sources of physician disciplinary information in the United States.
Can I look up a specific doctor?
Our state and national disciplinary-action RATES are aggregate, state-level statistics, not a physician lookup tool. Separately, our action-type pages list individual entries from the public federal HHS OIG LEIE exclusion list (covering all provider types, not just physicians) -- these are a different data source than the state-board rates and are not comprehensive board-discipline histories. To check a specific physician's full board-discipline history, contact your state medical board directly or visit the NPDB (National Practitioner Data Bank) for self-query access.
Is this site free to use?
Yes. PlainDiscipline is completely free to use. No account, login, or payment required. The site is supported by advertising.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are physician disciplinary actions?
Disciplinary actions are formal sanctions taken by state medical boards against physicians who violate medical practice laws. These can include license revocations, suspensions, probation, fines, or required education. Actions are reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank and become part of a physician's permanent record.
Where does this data come from?
Our data comes from Public Citizen's analysis of the National Practitioner Data Bank and the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB). These are the most comprehensive sources of physician disciplinary information in the United States.
Can I look up a specific doctor?
Our state and national disciplinary-action RATES are aggregate, state-level statistics, not a physician lookup tool. Separately, our action-type pages list individual entries from the public federal HHS OIG LEIE exclusion list (covering all provider types, not just physicians) -- these are a different data source than the state-board rates and are not comprehensive board-discipline histories. To check a specific physician's full board-discipline history, contact your state medical board directly or visit the NPDB (National Practitioner Data Bank) for self-query access.
Is this site free to use?
Yes. PlainDiscipline is completely free to use. No account, login, or payment required. The site is supported by advertising.
Research
Original analysis from our editorial process, every statistic derived from our own database. Browse all discipline research reports.
Ohio leads US medical boards on rate
Public Citizen Health Research Group data shows Ohio (1.82 serious actions per 1,000 physicians per year), Wisconsin (1.49 serious actions per 1,000 physicians per year), North Dakota (1.39 serious actions per 1,000 physicians per year) leading rankable boards, against a national average of 0.81 per 1,000.
Research83,695 HHS OIG LEIE Exclusions: Top Action-Type Categories
HHS OIG List of Excluded Individuals and Entities data shows 83,695 total exclusions with License Revocation or Suspension (33,327) and Conviction: Program-Related Crime (25,916) dominating the top action-type categories.
ResearchLicensed Healthcare Professional 20,737 Exclusions: Top Provider Categories
HHS OIG LEIE specialty breakdowns show Licensed Healthcare Professional (20,737 actions 24.8%) Nursing (13,562 actions 16.2%) and Physician (7,600 actions 9.1%) leading US healthcare-discipline categories, with 137 distinct specialty classifications tracked.
PlainDiscipline does not invent NPDB individual records or live license status. Confirm a named clinician on the state board lookup and the verification guide. Figures here are for informational purposes and do not constitute medical or legal advice.
Source: Public Citizen Health Research Group + Federation of State Medical Boards + HHS OIG HRG serious board-action rates, FSMB physician census, OIG LEIE extract · 2021-2023 / live LEIE State rates are aggregate board figures; LEIE exclusions are a separate federal extract.
Data currency: Physician disciplinary actions compiled from Federation of State Medical Boards records, reflecting data through 2023, last refreshed May 2026. See our methodology for source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a correction.
Verify this page
According to the Public Citizen Health Research Group, the Federation of State Medical Boards, and the HHS Office of Inspector General, serious board-action rates and federal exclusions are published in fixed reporting windows. Every figure on PlainDiscipline is rebuilt from those Public Citizen / FSMB board-rate tables and the OIG LEIE extract; no number is typed in by an editor. Homepage KPIs, state ratios, and LEIE totals are computed live from the Public Citizen / FSMB / OIG tables in this portal's database. Data current as of August 2026.
Board rates and LEIE exclusions are published regulatory counts for a fixed reporting window - not physician-quality rankings, medical advice, licensing recommendations, or real-time board-case status. Data changelog