The analysis found that the Georgia Composite Medical Board issued an average of 13.3 serious disciplinary actions per year between 2023 and 2025. Alaska, Ohio and Alabama had the highest rates of discipline, and Georgia would need to increase its serious actions by 500% to match top-ranked Alaska's rate, the study said.

The findings echo a months-long investigation by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution into how Georgia became a haven for unproven medical treatments with little oversight. That series, "Risky Medicine," documented how an underfunded board has struggled to rein in doctors who cross the line, leaving patients to bear the consequences.

Robert Oshel, a co-author of the Public Citizen report, said the pattern is not accidental. "The Georgia board has consistently failed to take serious disciplinary action against physicians who practice bad medicine," Oshel said, adding that the board's low average reflects a system that rarely holds doctors accountable even when patients are harmed.

The report defines serious disciplinary actions as license revocations, suspensions, surrenders, probation, and other restrictions that clearly limit a doctor's ability to practice. It also found that Georgia ranked low in the rate of medical malpractice payments and in the number of adverse actions reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank.

State Rep. Jasmine Jones, a DeKalb County Democrat, said the board needs more resources to do its job. "We've been contributing to a backlog of cases, and we need to take patient protection seriously," Jones said. "The board can ask for more positions to resolve cases quickly, and the General Assembly should fund them."

Jones said she plans to push for additional funding and staffing for the board in the upcoming legislative session, arguing that the current fee structure does not generate enough revenue to adequately investigate complaints.

The Georgia Composite Medical Board, which licenses physicians and other health care providers, is currently charged with overseeing about 55,000 licensees with a staff of 31, including two dozen investigators. The board is funded largely through licensing fees and is authorized to hire more staff, but critics say it has long been stretched thin.

Liz Coyle, executive director of Georgia Watch, a consumer advocacy organization, said the report should serve as a wake-up call for lawmakers. "It's long past time for the state to adequately fund the medical board so they can keep Georgians safe," Coyle said. "Legislators need to step up and provide the resources the board needs to do its job."

The report comes as Georgia faces growing scrutiny over its oversight of alternative medicine and experimental treatments. A series of stories by the AJC found that the board has rarely taken serious action against doctors who promote questionable therapies, even as patients have reported harm and financial ruin.

The Public Citizen report is based on an analysis of disciplinary actions reported to the Federation of State Medical Boards between 2023 and 2025. It ranked states by the rate of serious actions per 1,000 physicians.

Georgia's rate of 13.3 serious actions per year is far below the national average, and the state's ranking has remained consistently low in similar reports over the past decade, according to Public Citizen.

The board has said it is working to improve its processes, but critics say the problems are structural. The board's budget has not kept pace with the growing number of licensees, and the fee structure has not been updated in years.

Jones said she hopes the report will build momentum for reform. "We need to make sure the board has the tools it needs to protect patients," she said. "That means funding, staffing, and a commitment to accountability."

The Georgia Composite Medical Board did not respond to a request for comment.