The state agency overseeing licensed doctors received about 450 complaints from San Diego County last year, most alleging cases of negligence or incompetence, according to state medical board data.
The county fell near statewide averages in almost every complaint category. Only negligence complaints happened more often in San Diego County compared to the entire state. Negligence accounted for 57 percent of complaints from the county and 50 percent from the state.
You can see a statistical breakdown of the entire county’s complaints in the graphic above. Keep in mind that a complaint is just that — a complaint — and its assertion may be true or false. You can find how the medical board rules on complaints, which are kept confidential, here.
I’m looking at these complaint statistics as background for digging into local health and doctor-related issues. I’m most interested in highlighting doctors whose actions have been overlooked by state oversight (some examples are here).
If you know a doctor who we should look into, please let me know. You can contact me by sending an e-mail to keegan.kyle@voiceofsandiego.org or by calling 619.550.5668. If I don’t reply within 48 hours, don’t hesitate to call to make sure I received your message.
— KEEGAN KYLE