Doctors' overseers might get more teeth

The N.C. Medical Board is having no trouble persuading lawmakers it should have more authority to go after problem doctors.

The House Select Committee on Health Care said last month it will consider adopting reforms suggested by the medical board, which has taken heat from trial lawyers, patients and the news media in recent years for failing to adequately police the state's 21,000 physicians.

Given the health committee's favorable response, medical board Executive Director David Henderson thinks there's an excellent chance the full House will give the board broader powers to publicly discipline errant doctors.

The proposed changes would let the board more freely impose public reprimands, issue public letters of concern or limit a doctor's scope of practice.

The reforms would also make it easier to place doctors on probation, order them to provide free medical services and require them to complete treatment programs or remedial or educational training.

The medical board was not successful on all fronts, however.

Nurses and pharmacists acted quickly to shoot down proposed changes that would have given the board legal authority to apply its broadened powers to nurse practitioners and certain pharmacists.

The state boards of nursing and pharmacy both argued that existing rules give the medical board a way to stop wayward nurse practitioners and clinical practitioner pharmacists from practicing.

Lawmakers listened and agreed that changing the law isn't necessary.

But the debate isn't over.

Lawmakers directed the boards governing doctors, nurses and pharmacists to decide if stronger rules are needed to ensure that all professions have appropriately robust disciplinary practices.

Meager turnout

If you felt a little lonely at the polls Tuesday, there was a reason. The state broke a record for lowest turnout for a primary, with about 9.5 percent of 5.4 million registered voters casting ballots.

The previous primary low was 13 percent. "I was hoping to make double digits," said state elections director Gary Bartlett.

The state will have a final count next week, but Bartlett doesn't expect turnout to reach 10 percent.

Robinson draws fire

Vernon Robinson attracts attention wherever he goes, and just hours after capturing the GOP nomination for the 13th congressional district Tuesday night, he got a rise out of the liberal People for the American Way Voters Alliance in Washington.

The group asked the Republican National Committee to repudiate Robinson's tactics, withhold support for Robinson's campaign and demand that he pull an ad about illegal immigration.

Ralph Neas accused Robinson of spreading "bigotry and scapegoating."

"It may be tempting to dismiss Robinson as a fringe candidate, but he just successfully fended off two primary challengers and his prolific fundraising makes him a credible threat," Neas wrote.

The Robinson radio ad says: "Brad Miller [the Democratic incumbent] supports gay marriage and sponsored a bill to let American homosexuals bring their foreign homosexual lovers to this country on a marriage visa. If Miller had his way, America would be nothing but one big fiesta for illegal aliens and homosexuals, but if you elect Vernon Robinson, the party's over."

A spokesman for the RNC did not comment directly on the group's request.

"One thing is certain -- by picking this fight, People for the American Way just handed Vernon Robinson literally millions of dollars in free fundraising and visibility," said Jonathan Collegio, an RNC spokesman. "It's almost as though they're trying to help his campaign."

Down by 64 votes

Rep. Edd Nye, a Democrat from Elizabethtown with 30 years in the legislature, is running behind in his primary.

Unofficial results have Nye, a chairman of the House budget committee, trailing Democratic challenger William Brisson by 64 votes. The results aren't official until all the provisional ballots are counted, and Nye said he has not conceded. But adding in uncounted ballots usually doesn't change the outcome, he said.

Brisson is a former Bladen County commissioner who gave Nye a close race two years ago.