LAS VEGAS (AP) - Nevada regulators on Friday decided to post more information about doctors' malpractice history on the state Board of Medical Examiners Web site.

The unanimous decision comes after a hepatitis C outbreak in southern Nevada drew focus on the Board of Medical Examiners' operations. The outbreak spurred criticism of the way the board distributes information about the doctors it licenses and censures.

The current Web site lists the names of doctors who've been disciplined and the nature of the infraction. Members of the public
must contact the board for additional information.

The board plans to add to that a searchable database of all doctors named in malpractice cases that ended in a settlement, award or judgment.

The board discussed including only cases that involved $5,000 or more, but did not come to a clear decision. It also did not state a firm launch date for the new site.

The hepatitis C outbreak led to the biggest public health notification operation in U.S. history. Officials have linked 84 cases of the potentially deadly liver disease to the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada. More than 50,000 patients were notified they may be at risk.

Federal and local health officials blamed the outbreak on unsafe injections procedures regularly performed at the center. Officials believe doctors ordered the staff to reuse syringes and misusing single-dose medication vials.

The board is still investigating the doctors involved. A disciplinary hearing for the clinic's owner, Dr. Dipak Desai, is scheduled for Sept. 8.

On Friday, the board chose not to draft and adopt a policy on the proper use of single-use and multi-use medication vials.

Some members said they were concerned such a policy would force
doctors to use medication only in the doses and for purposes stated
on the manufacturer's label.

"We use off-label things all the time," board member Cindy Lamerson said.

Instead, the board voted to endorse an advisory recently issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that urges doctors to follow the manufacturer's guidelines "whenever possible."

The board also chose not to draft a conflict-of-interest policy. That issue arose after three board members had to recuse themselves from matters relating to the hepatitis C outbreak because they had relationships with Desai.

Instead of drafting a policy, board members decided to sign statements saying they were familiar with state ethics laws.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)