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Ritter signs a dozen bills, including one making doctor info available to public

April M. Washington, Rocky Mountain News

Published May 25, 2007 at midnight

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Michael Skolnik's life was cut short three years ago, his family says, by a doctor who performed unnecessary brain surgery after misdiagnosing him.

For 32 months, the 25-year-old languished in a vegetative state until he died of multiple organ failure June 2, 2004.

Skolnik's parents later discovered that the neurosurgeon, Dr. David Wayne Miller, had a malpractice claim against him in Georgia and had done the procedure performed on her son only one other time.

Patty and David Skolnik, of Centennial, wept Thursday as Gov. Bill Ritter signed into law a measure, named after their only child, aimed at preventing similar tragedies by making public physicians' disciplinary, malpractice and criminal records.

"We are passionate about the subject of putting in place patient safeguards," Patty Skolnik said. "We paid the ultimate price - the loss of our son."

House Bill 1331 - the Michael Skolnik Medical Transparency Act - requires the Colorado Board of Medical Examiners to collect and make public information about doctors.

The bill's sponsors, Rep. Morgan Carroll, D-Denver, and Sen. Lois Tochtrop, D-Thornton, said there now is little information available to the public on a doctor's past negligence, making it difficult for patients to make informed decisions.

According to a report by the Institute of Medicine, medical errors are the eighth leading cause of death in the United States, contributing to 98,000 deaths annually.

On Thursday, Ritter's gold-trimmed black pen was on fire.

The governor signed a dozen measures into law including legislation aimed at regulating taxicab companies, stepping up oversight of state contracts, creating a commission for the blind and closing what lawmakers dub the single largest loophole in campaign spending.

So far Ritter has signed 318 bills and vetoed two.

An additional 165 bills passed by the legislature, which adjourned May 4, are awaiting action by the June 4 deadline.

A half-dozen cabbies looked on as Ritter signed a measure intended to crack down on taxicab companies accused of abusing and exploiting immigrant drivers.

House Bill 1114 requires the state Public Utilities Commission to regulate the rates companies charge drivers to lease cabs.

Nearly 300 African immigrant cabbies swarmed the Capitol this spring, complaining they work an average of 12 to 16 hours daily, mostly to pay for company leases of as much as $500 a week and services fees charged when passengers pay with credit cards.

"There are a lot of independent taxi drivers who pushed for legislation to bring more transparency to this industry," Ritter said.

Other legislation

• Ritter signed a bill aimed at tightening the state's campaign finance laws by shining a spotlight on groups known as 527s, which currently enjoy lax rules on how much money they can raise and identifying who their donors are. Many complain that these groups operate in the shadows while spending millions on attack ads over which candidates have no control.

• Also signed was a measure to increase oversight of multimillion-dollar contracts for major computer projects and state purchases. The state spends nearly $4 billion annually on private vendors. Several recent contracts have been high-profile failures. Senate Bill 228 puts in place tougher performance standards. It requires state agencies to monitor contracts over $500,000, and calls for the creation of a centralized database to track the work of vendors.

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