Over the past decade there has been heightened social concern about medical errors and physician competence. The medical boards of state governments have been under pressure to more rigorously evaluate physician performance and take disciplinary action. California is no exception, and the Medical Board of California (MBC — www.medbd.ca.gov) has been increasingly active in physician discipline. The UCSD Physician Assessment and Clinical Education (PACE) Program provides comprehensive clinical competency assessment services for physicians in need and delivers remedial education for selected deficiencies. While the majority of our referrals come from the MBC, we also receive referrals from hospitals, insurance carriers and other state medical boards. Since its inception in 1996, more than 1,000 physicians have participated in the PACE Program, and we currently assess more than 150 physicians a year. (More...)