Compact boosts access to licenses
Nearly a quarter of the states have approved a new compact that makes it easier for doctors to practice across their borders, and more states are considering joining. Read more
Ailing Oversight
A slow disciplinary process and lack of transparency afflict Hawaii’s regulatory system for physicians.
Remedies hard to prescribe
Patient advocates say Hawaii needs to take swift action to suspend licenses of doctors who lose privileges in another state. Read more
Where Hawaii’s licensed physicians are based
While Hawaii has more licensed physicians per 100,000 residents than any other state, about half the roughly 9,700 doctors live outside the state. Read more
Medical board defends impartiality despite physicians’ outsize presence
Past convictions left out of licensing procedure
Hawaii law prohibits regulators from considering expunged records. Read more
Policies block out full picture
Dr. Mark Fortune, who had offices in California and Hawaii, was issuing prescriptions to his new patient for powerful painkiller and anti-anxiety pills without examining him, according to California medical board records. Read more
Action in reciprocal discipline cases reveals stark differences among states
Although taking timely action is considered critical to protecting the public, Hawaii regulators typically have been slow to respond in cases involving Hawaii-licensed doctors first sanctioned in other states, according to a Honolulu Star-Advertiser investigation. Read more
State keeps patients in the dark on doctors disciplined elsewhere
Some Hawaii doctors have been able to practice here for two years or more without state intervention after having their medical licenses revoked or suspended in other states, a six-month investigation by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser has found. Read more
Inaction fails patients
A physician whose medical license was suspended or surrendered for misconduct in five mainland states still practices in Hawaii. Read more
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Databases, legal records, websites used to gather details on doctors
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser acquired a database of Hawaii professional and vocational licenses from the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. The newspaper filtered the database to build a list of physicians and physician assistants licensed in the state. Read more
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