A new Web site, bolstered by ads on cable television across South Carolina, calls itself SCDoctorDatabank. Yet you will find no information about doctors here.

Instead, the Web site is part of a push, funded by the South Carolina Trial Lawyers Association, to call for a state-run site that would provide information on individual doctors, including the status of his or her license and the results of any criminal background checks.

The site's posting comes as the association fights off efforts in the state Legislature to address rising medical malpractice costs, including placing a cap on non-economic damages plaintiffs can win, such as pain and suffering.

"We started the idea of the doctor databank before tort reform" became an issue in Columbia, said Nola Armstrong, spokeswoman for the association. "But if you're going to cap a person's damages, it would be nice if you could find out some information about your doctor first."

Armstrong said the association hopes that legislation creating a database will be introduced in the coming session.

Then again, the state already has a Web site where patients can find out the standing of a doctor's license: the Board of Medical Examiners site at http://www.llr.%20state.sc.us/POL/Medical/Default.htm.

GOING, GOING... GONE

Time is winding down for South Carolina taxpayers to claim $18.6 million in refunds owned to them from Uncle Sam.

The Internal Revenue Service estimates that it's holding money for some 18,000 state residents since 2001. Over half of those taxpayers, it says, are eligible to pick up more than $484. Nationwide, the government owes $2 billion to 1.7 million people.

But they'd better be fast.

There's a three-year window for claiming a refund and it's about to close. Anyone who thinks they're due some of this dough should fill out a tax form for their 2001 work year and get it to the IRS by April 15.

Valerie Thornton, an IRS spokeswoman, says anyone who thinks too much was withheld from their paychecks and who didn't file for that year should come forward.

"It may be someone self-employed or someone eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit," Thornton said. "Or just anyone who paid to much to the government."

The Earned Income Tax Credit, or EITC, program is one of the biggest refund programs. It was started in 1975 as an incentive for low- and moderate-wage earners to get a job. In some cases, those in the program can get back more from the government than they paid in taxes.

Roughly one out of every five eligible workers pass up that money because they either don't know about it or don't file.

Tax forms are available on the IRS Web site at www.irs.gov or by calling 1-800-TAX-FORM.

STRIKING A BALANCE

An event this weekend will teach attendees how to find a balance between work and home life, manage their money and even melt away extra pounds.

Sponsored by the Charleston-based Center for Women, the Women Educating Women: Entrepreneurial Leadership conference will include professional development workshops on career and life transitions, financial management, wellness, and networking.

The keynote speaker is Charleston resident Charlotte Beers, a longtime advertising executive and former undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs in the Bush administration. In 1997, Beers was on the cover of Fortune magazine as part of a feature on the most powerful women in America.

The conference will run from 9:15 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Charleston Riverview Hotel, 170 Lockwood Drive. Registration starts at 8:30 a.m.

To get additional information, visit c4women.org or call 763-7333.