S02-5: Should Doctors Peddling COVID Disinformation Lose Their License?

Should doctors who spread disinformation lose their medical licenses? Phony cures and/or resistance to public health messaging is nothing new, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, we've seen it all -- from patients suing their doctors or hospital systems to allow for use of the deworming medication ivermectin to treat COVID-19, to healthcare providers echoing conspiracy theories that the virus is a hoax. The Federation of State Medical Boards put out a statement in early August saying that they support disciplinary action, including suspension or revocation of medical licenses, for those who "generate and spread COVID-19 vaccine misinformation or disinformation." When we inquired if any such actions had been taken and what the numbers looked like, we were told they are currently surveying their member boards to find out just how widespread of an issue this has become. On this week's episode, Eve Bloomgarden, MD, of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, who is a member of No License for Disinformation, a non-partisan grassroots coalition taking on disinformation by healthcare providers, joins us to explain how they plan to push for action against those who spread false information.