How PlainDiscipline Works

Data Collection

PlainDiscipline aggregates data from multiple publicly available sources. We extract serious disciplinary action counts from Public Citizen Health Research Group publications, physician population counts from FSMB statistical summaries, and board contact information from official state government websites. No data is scraped from private databases or paywalled sources.

Rate Calculation

The discipline rate for each state is calculated as: serious disciplinary actions per 1,000 licensed physicians. This per-capita normalization is essential for fair comparison, California has far more physicians than Wyoming, but the discipline rate reveals which board is more active relative to its physician population. States are then ranked nationally by this rate.

Presentation

Each state profile on PlainDiscipline shows the discipline rate, national ranking, physician count, and direct links to the state medical board. The rankings page provides a sortable comparison across all states. We also provide patient guides that explain how to interpret the data and how to use state board tools to verify individual physician credentials.

Quality Assurance

We cross-reference Public Citizen rates with FSMB statistical data to verify consistency. Board contact information is periodically checked against official state government websites. When discrepancies are found, we defer to the more official source and note any data limitations.

Limitations

PlainDiscipline presents aggregate data that reveals state-level patterns but cannot capture the full complexity of medical board enforcement. Individual physician records, case details, and the specific circumstances behind each disciplinary action are available only through the state boards themselves. We encourage users to use PlainDiscipline as a starting point and always verify individual credentials directly.