Dr. Laura A Tejeda, MD

What is a sanction or disciplinary action?

A sanction, also known as a disciplinary action, is an action taken to punish or restrict a physician who has demonstrated professional misconduct.

If my physician has sanction history, does that make him/her a poor quality physician?

If a physician has a sanction, it does not necessarily mean that he or she is a poor physician. Evaluate the information and determine how severe you think the cause and action were.

How far back does DoctorHelps sanction history go?

DoctorHelps reports state and federal sanctions (if any) for the previous five years except when a physician's license has been revoked,suspended or surrendered.

For which states does DoctorHelps collect sanction history?

DoctorHelps collects sanction history from all 50 states. Physicians with a disciplinary action in one state may move to another state where they may have a clean record.

What is medical malpractice?

Medical malpractice is ordinary negligence by a physician that causes injury to a patient. Examples include being improperly diagnosed, treated, medicated or operated upon outside the standard of care.
The three possible types of malpractice history are:

Settlement - a payment on a medical malpractice action or claim settled out of court. It is not a presumption that malpractice has occurred.
Arbitration Award - a payment on a medical malpractice action or claim typically based on a decision by a third-party arbiter. It is not a presumption that malpractice has occurred.
Judgment - a court order for a physician, or his or her employer, to pay a party a certain amount of money. It is a conclusion that a civil wrong has occurred.

If my physician has malpractice history, is he/she a poor quality physician?

If your physician has a malpractice claim, evaluate the information and determine if the action could potentially impact the quality of care you receive. Claim settlements and arbitration awards may occur for a variety of reasons, which should not necessarily reflect negatively on the physician's professional competence or conduct. You may want to use this information to start a discussion with the physician.

How far back does DoctorHelps malpractice history go?

DoctorHelps reports details of a physician malpractice history when the physician has at least one closed malpractice claim within the last five years, even if he or she no longer practices in that state. If your physician has malpractice claims in multiple states, evaluate the information for similarities. It is possible for multiple states to report the same claim.

For which states does DoctorHelps collect malpractice history?

DoctorHelps collects malpractice and lawsuit information for the states of California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia.