US patients may gain access to doctors' disciplinary data

Patients in the United States may soon be able to access currently protected information about their doctors, including malpractice data, if a bill about to be introduced through Congress is passed.

Representative Tom Bliley, chairman of the House commerce committee, is spearheading controversial legislation that will allow the public to have access to the National Practitioner Data Bank. The legislation enters delicate territory, as it must balance the consumer's right to knowledge against a doctor's right to privacy and protection against libel.

The data bank was set up by Congress in 1986. Its aim was …