If you are in an accident and suffer a personal injury, the last thing you need to worry about is the credentials of the physician caring for you. That’s why we were pleased to learn that Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has signed the Patients’ Right To Know Act into law.

Under the new law, Illinois consumers will soon have access to an in-depth history of doctors, including whether they have been fired, convicted of a crime or have made a medical malpractice payment in the last five years.

For more than a decade, doctors’ groups blocked that bill -- until a Chicago Tribune investigative series revealed that state regulators allowed dangerous doctors, even those convicted of sex crimes, to continue practicing.

Governor Quinn hailed the new law as the “No. 1 consumer bill.” Apparently, the state agency that regulates doctors has had much of the information about doctors but hasn’t made it public. For some time now, hospitals have had to report to the state when they fire or censure a physician, and insurance companies have had to report malpractice payments.

Here’s how the new law will work. Within two months, the Illinois Department of Financial Professional Regulation will have to post doctor profiles on its website. Among details, it will let the public know what medical schools the doctor attended, specialty board certifications, number of years in practice and locations, and if the doctor participates in the Medicaid program.

While doctors can review their public profiles on the site and make changes, they will face disciplinary action for reporting inaccurate information.