Md. case spurs calls for physician background checks

The revelation that a former Catonsville, Maryland physician obtained his Maryland medical license despite having a 1987 Florida rape conviction on his record is sparking a push for criminal background checks of physicians. William Dando, MD was indicted last month in Allegany County, accused of sexually assaulting a female patient in April at an urgent care center near Cumberland. Details of his criminal past emerge following his indictment. Dando has pleaded not guilty to the recent charges and is scheduled to face a jury trial on September 3, The Baltimore Sun reported.

Maryland is one of 13 states that does not conduct criminal background checks on physicians, according to the Federation of State Medical Boards. Requirements for checks of physicians were left out of two recent reports guiding major overhauls of the state regulatory board for physicians, even as background checks were mandated this year for chiropractors, counselors, and physical and mental health therapists.

Source: The Baltimore Sun