Families of alleged victims of negligence call for changes to California's medical board

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Several family members of patients allegedly killed by medical negligence are calling for changes to be made to the Medical Board of California, saying the agency doesn't do nearly enough to protect health care consumers.

"This board goes out of (its) way to protect dangerous doctors, not the public," said Tammy Smick of Temecula, whose son died in the hospital after an alleged neglectful overdose. Smick was one of several people to speak out at a news conference Thursday hosted by Consumer Watchdog.

Charles Johnson is suing Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after his pregnant wife died from internal bleeding in the hospital, alleging doctors refused to address her complications for 10 costly hours.

"When we walked into Cedars-Sinai that afternoon, the thought that my wife would not walk out of that hospital to raise her boys, it never crossed my mind," said Johnson, who claims the Medical Board of California did practically nothing to punish those responsible.

Consumer Watchdog said these stories highlight different ways the Medical Board of California failed to protect patients from doctors who caused harm.

These family members, as well as others, plan to soon travel to Sacramento for the California Senate Committee on Business, Professions and Economic Development's oversight hearings on the Medical Board of California.

Consumer Watchdog said several bills to reform the board have already been introduced in the state legislature, including one which would change the makeup of the board to create a public member majority.

The Medical Board of California provided the following statement to Eyewitness News:

"The Medical Board of California's (Board) is singularly focused on its mission of consumer protection. That is why we put forward a robust package of legislative proposals that will help ensure that we have the necessary financial means, enforcement tools, and standards to meet that mission.

"We recognize that many lack confidence in the Board and we are committed to improvement. We look forward to continuing our discussion with the Legislature, and other stakeholders, on our proposals and other changes to the law that will strengthen the work of the Board."

Editor's note: An earlier version of this article quoted Charles Johnson saying a doctor only received two years of probation. The correct figure is four years.