The state has launched a Web site that lets users find out whether Illinois doctors have been involved in recent medical malpractice settlements or verdicts.

The release of the information, which stems from a compromise made when state law makers approved caps on pain-and-suffering damages in medical malpractice cases, is available at www.idfpr.com under the "Physician Profile" feature.

Since the site made it's debut on Friday, it has received more than 80,000 hits, said Susan Hofer, spokeswoman for the Illinois department of financial and professional regulation.

"It's clear that there are a lot of people who want to know more about their doctors," Hofer said.

And there's plenty of information that wasn't available before.

Visitors can search for a doctor by county, specialty or hospital affiliation.

They also can learn about educational backgrounds, where offices are located, whether doctors are accepting new patients and whether they participate in certain state and federal programs.

Doctors are required to provide that information before license renewal takes place in July. So far, 85 percent of roughly 44,000 doctors have updated their profiles, Hofer said.

Insurance companies and the courts are expected to provide the state with information regarding medical malpractice settlements and judgments. The site will provide the size of the settlement or verdict and the country in which the lawsuit was filed.

"It gives you a new question to ask that doctor when you're talking to him or her," Hofer said. "You and I both know that settlements don't necessarily mean that the doctor did anything wrong, or that he or she is a bad doctor. It's just another question to ask.

The Web site lists information for incidents dating back five years, and the same five-year period applies to criminal convictions that will be available on the site.

Before the malpractice caps became law in 2005, Gov. Rod Blagojevich said he approved of the limits on the condition that doctors provide the public with the information that is now online, Hofer said.

Another feature of the compromise was that companies that sell medical malpractice insurance must release their risk data to the public. as a result, nine if the 10 companies that write those policies reduced their rates in 2007, Hofer said.

Another result of the law is that the state has more time to determine whether a doctor exhibits a pattern of problems when a complaint a gross negligence comes before the state.

Under the malpractice-cap law, plaintiffs in medical negligence cases can receive a maximum of $500,000 from physicians and no more than $1 million from Hospitals to cover non-economic damages such as pain and suffering.

Supporters said that the law was needed to prevent doctors from leaving Illinois due to the high costs of malpractice insurance that stemmed from jury awards.

Trial attorneys are challenging the constitutionality of the limits, and they hope the matter will be resolved by the Illinois Supreme Court. Last November, a Cook County judge ruled that the caps violated victims' rights.

It's unclear what would happen to the Web site should the Supreme Court rule that the malpractice-cap law is unconstitutional.

"I can't comment. I have no way of knowing," Hofer said. "certainly if the judge says we don't have the statutory authority to do this, we're not going to do it. But we're hopeful that's not the case".