Medical board OKs discipline plan AH: Lawmakers, governor have final say on act requiring background checks.

Byline: JONATHAN MAZE

Criminal background checks would be mandated and formal complaints against physicians would be made public under proposals adopted Tuesday by the state Board of Medical Examiners.

"We're a regulatory agency that is committed to protecting the public interest, not the profession," said Dr. Louis Costa, a Charleston surgeon and the board's vice president.

The 31-page Medical Practices Act must be approved by the General Assembly and Gov. Mark Sanford, which could take a year or so.

Despite Costa's comment, the board made several changes to the proposal Tuesday in an effort to allay physicians' concerns that the proposed regulations went too far.

Last month, the South …