Fall 2005 Newsletter- Maryland Board of Physicians
The Maryland Board of Physicians ("the Board") is not targeting or restricting the treatment of Lyme Disease. There has never been a disciplinary action initiated against any physician for their treat- ment of Lyme Disease, according to Board member Paul Fleury, M.D. As is true with all the care that the Board reviews, documentation is key to the justification of any physician's medical decision-making. In areas where the course of action to be taken is unproven or the chosen course is contrary to guidelines, an explicit discussion and documentation of treatment goals, options, risks and benefits of the treatment is appropriate.
The Maryland Board of Physicians does not support the concept of "immunization" of any physician from scrutiny because of the particular disease that he or she treats, the particular group of patients treated, or the location in which he or she practices. The Board, in its mission to license and regulate the practice of medicine in Maryland generally does not create, promulgate, or endorse in advance specific diagnostic or treatment guidelines regarding any disease state