Letters: Protection for bad doctors

Re “When medical errors kill,” Opinion, March 16

I agree with retired neurosurgeon Philip Levitt regarding the few doctors who are responsible for the large percentage of severe medical errors.

When I was chief of staff at Glendale Memorial Hospital in 1977, and when I was on the credential and surgical committees in the 1960s and ‘70s, we were much more able to prevent staff admission, restrictions and removal. Unfortunately, the legal protections afforded physicians accused of malpractice today have greatly thwarted efforts to weed out bad doctors.

In addition, many problem physicians practice at several hospitals, and privacy issues further erode the ability to accumulate sufficient evidence.

Carlton F. Valvo, MD

Glendale

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