How effective is medical self-regulation?

Licensing and disciplining of physicians, police powers of the individual states, are carried out by boards and committees, the majority of whose members are physicians. How effective is medical self-regulation? I attempt to answer this question by examining several aspects of the disciplinary process such as the medical practice acts, inconsistencies in disciplinary actions, and the number and proportion of doctors disciplined during various periods. Also included in this study is an examination of obstacles to discipline, many of which are caused by hospitals and organized medicine. I conclude that medical self-regulation is of limited effectiveness.