Data Methodology

Primary Data Sources

PlainDiscipline draws from primary data sources for physician disciplinary records:

• Public Citizen Health Research Group — HRG Publication #2235, "Ranking of the Rate of State Medical Boards' Serious Disciplinary Actions". This analysis covers the 2021–2023 period and provides the most comprehensive state-level ranking of medical board disciplinary activity available.
• Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) — Physician Data Summary Statistics 2023, providing licensed physician counts by state. Used as the denominator for computing disciplinary action rates.
• HHS OIG List of Excluded Individuals/Entities (LEIE) — U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General publishes the official federal exclusions database used to cross-reference state board actions against federal program-exclusion records.
• National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) — Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) aggregates federally-mandated reports of malpractice payments and adverse actions taken against physicians by hospitals and licensing boards.
• State Medical Board Websites — Board contact information verified directly from official state government portals (typically `.gov` or state-license-board domains).

Data Vintage

Disciplinary action data covers the 2021–2023 period as reported in Public Citizen HRG Publication #2235. FSMB physician counts reflect 2023 data. State board contact information is reviewed periodically for accuracy. Cross-referenced where available with the HHS OIG LEIE federal exclusion records, CMS preclusion list, and CMS NPPES National Provider Identifier registry. The three-year reporting window (2021-2023) smooths out year-to-year variability that can arise from individual high-profile cases or temporary changes in board staffing and enforcement resources, providing a more stable measure of each state's disciplinary activity.

Processing Pipeline

1. Public Citizen HRG publication data is extracted for all 50 states and D.C., providing serious disciplinary action counts and rates per 1,000 physicians.
2. FSMB physician counts are joined to state records to provide the licensed physician base for rate calculations.
3. State boards are ranked by serious disciplinary action rate (actions per 1,000 licensed physicians).
4. State board contact information is sourced from official state medical board websites and stored alongside statistical data.
5. All data is loaded into a structured SQLite database serving state profiles and national comparison pages.

Definition of "Serious Disciplinary Actions"

As defined by Public Citizen and FSMB standards, serious disciplinary actions include:

• License revocations
• License suspensions
• License surrenders under investigation
• Probations with practice restrictions
• Other significant adverse board orders

Minor actions such as letters of concern, administrative fines, or required continuing education are generally not included in "serious" disciplinary counts.

How the Source Organizations Collect Data

Public Citizen's Health Research Group compiles disciplinary action data by reviewing official records from all 50 state medical boards, the District of Columbia medical board, and relevant federal databases. Serious disciplinary actions are counted according to standardized definitions developed in coordination with the Federation of State Medical Boards. The FSMB publishes physician counts based on registration data from state medical boards, which track every licensed physician in each jurisdiction.

State medical boards receive complaints from patients, hospitals, insurance companies, law enforcement, and other physicians. Boards investigate complaints, conduct hearings, and impose disciplinary actions according to each state's Medical Practice Act. The process and transparency of these proceedings varies significantly by state.

Data Accuracy Commitment

PlainDiscipline presents published data from Public Citizen and FSMB without modification. Disciplinary rates, rankings, and physician counts are displayed as published in the source materials. We do not compute our own disciplinary rates or editorialize about board effectiveness. If you find any data that appears incorrect, please contact us at hello@plaindiscipline.com and we will verify against the source publications.

Limitations

• This is aggregate state-level data, not individual physician records. PlainDiscipline does not provide look-up for individual physicians.
• Rates reflect reported and recorded actions — undiscovered misconduct is not counted.
• State medical boards vary significantly in resources, staffing, reporting practices, and enforcement culture, making direct state-to-state comparisons imperfect.
• To verify an individual physician's license status, contact the relevant state medical board directly.
• PlainDiscipline is not affiliated with Public Citizen, FSMB, or any state medical board.