Handling alleged ethical lapses by other physicians requires care

ATLANTA — Alleged ethical lapses are sometimes best addressed by speaking with the physician in question before taking any other action, a clinician said here.

Alfred C. Marrone, MD, offered ways of handling sensitive situations of alleged ethical lapses in the medical community at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting.

"The patient does come first - that's our responsibility," Dr. Marrone said. "These are difficult situations forcing difficult decisions."

He said if physicians encounter a problem with another physician, they should first verify the problem, if possible and if legal. If the problem is not serious enough and does not occur often, he suggested that physicians simply observe the problem.

However, if the ethical issue persists, he recommended discussing it with the physician. If the problem is serious and not solved there, the next step could be alerting hospitals, surgical centers or professional organizations, he said.

A final option is reporting the problem to a state licensing board, Dr. Marrone said.