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So, your kid's about to have his tonsils out and you want to know if your doctor's the right one to do it.  Ask friends?  Look into malpractice suits?  Check those flashy magazine covers that claim to have discovered your state's best doctors list (read: they take out a lot of ads)?  Find out his mortality stats? Good luck.  According to The Washington Post, it's easier to find out your neighbor's social security number than to get a really reliable forecast of how your child's surgery will turn out, under the doctor you pick. Unfortunately, there’s no foolproof way to vet your doctor, physician Michael Carome, director of the health research group at Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy organization based in Washington, tells writer Christie Aschwanden. But there are some basic steps you can take to look into a doctor’s credentials and record.  She notes that you should first check your state's medical board's Web site, which allows you to search...

Here's a scary thought.  Thousands of doctors who have been banned by hospitals can still obtain medical licenses in other states. According to Peter Eisler and Barbara Hansen, USA TODAY, "Despite years of criticism, the nation's state medical boards continue to allow thousands of physicians to keep practicing medicine after findings of serious misconduct that puts patients at risk, a USA TODAY investigation shows." Yes, many of the doctors have been barred by hospitals or other medical facilities, but hundreds have paid millions of dollars to resolve malpractice claims, the two report. "Yet their medical licenses — and their ability to inflict harm — remain intact." This isn't true in every state but the alarming fact remains, "State and federal records still paint a grim picture of a physician oversight system that often is slow to act, quick to excuse problems, and struggling to manage workloads in an era of tight state budgets." • E...