OKLAHOMA MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—20773 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—no actions listed as of 10/29/2018
Victim of deadly I-35 crash identified; Metro doctor accused of driving drunk
EDMOND, Okla. – Officials have identified the motorcyclist killed in a crash on I-35 last week by a metro doctor who was allegedly driving drunk.
The incident happened on October 12, just before 1:30 a.m., on I-35 in Edmond between 15th and 33rd.
According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, motorcyclist Nicholas Rappa, 31, of Guthrie, and Bryan Perry, 47, of Edmond, were both traveling northbound on I-35 when Perry struck Rappa.
“The Mercedes driver ran into the rear of the motorcycle rider,” said Cpt. Paul Timmons with OHP.
Rappa was pronounced dead at the scene.
A report says Perry left the scene traveling north when he “then struck a light pole adjacent to Interstate 35 disabling the vehicle.” Perry then fled the scene scene on foot, but was taken into custody by Edmond police.
Investigators say they believe Perry was drinking, and that a “strong odor of an alcoholic beverage” was detected.
“There were strong indicators of that. Field sobriety tests were given, some other information and evidence that was located at the scene of the crash,” said Timmons.
News 4 confirmed on Friday that Perry is a cardiologist with Oklahoma Heart Hospital.
In a statement, the Oklahoma Heart Hospital said:
“Everyone at Oklahoma Heart Hospital extends our deepest sympathy to all loved ones of the motorcyclist killed in the accident involving Dr. Bryan Perry. In this time of shock, we assure the public that all patient care in which Dr. Perry was participating is being managed by other providers. We extend our thoughts, prayers and profound regret to all involved in this tragedy.”
Court documents obtained by News 4 shows Perry was in an accident in 2012. Documents show a reckless driving arrest where he allegedly hit a trooper. It also states Perry was “extremely unsteady on his feet, had a very strong odor of alcohol on his breath and person and had extremely slurred speech.”
He also has six speeding violations from 2005 to 2016 in Oklahoma and Canadian counties.
Perry is facing first-degree manslaughter charges, DUI and various other criminal charges. (LINK)—10/14/2018
Edmond doctor faces second-degree murder charges for fatal DUI crash
OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — An Edmond cardiologist faces second-degree murder charges stemming from a deadly DUI crash.
Bryan Perry, 47, was arrested in October after Oklahoma Highway Patrol says he rear-ended a motorcycle on Interstate-35 near 33rd Street.
The crash sent the motorcyclist into the road where they were hit by at least one other car.
Perry sped off and crashed into a nearby light pole and then ran from that scene. He was arrested following a brief struggle.
OHP says Perry was intoxicated at the time of the wreck.
Perry was booked into Oklahoma County jail on Wednesday, Nov. 21, on complaints of aggravated DUI, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, first-degree manslaughter, second-degree murder and obstructing an officer.
The state will ask him to be held without bond.
He could now face 10 years to life in prison. (LINK)—11/21/2018
History Guy tells of ‘goat gland doctor’ who ran for Kansas governor
J.R. “Doc” Brinkley sought to cure sexual impotence and make aging men fertile again by transplanting the testicular glands of goats to their private parts.
He gained considerable positive publicity when one of his first patients became the father of a baby boy, whom he named “Billy.”
But the state of Kansas revoked Brinkley’s license to practice medicine in 1930, when he responded by running for governor — and almost winning.
Tim Hrenchir, the “History Guy” for CJOnline, returns Thursday with a short video about Brinkley, who was born in 1885 in North Carolina.
Brinkley attended a medical school but didn’t finish. He then worked as a physician at Milford, near Junction City, after buying a certificate from a diploma mill.
In the 1920s, Brinkley began operating a radio station. It featured musical entertainment and a program in which he answered questions from the public, often responding by prescribing medicines that could only be filled at pharmacies where Brinkley had contracts to sell them.
Meanwhile, Brinkley treated patients who traveled from across the nation to receive his goat gland operations. He became a millionaire.
Though critics in the medical community denounced him as a charlatan and a quack, Brinkley was popular with his radio listeners. They saw him as a maverick little guy who was up against the establishment.
Then, in 1930, the state revoked his license to practice medicine.
In the midst of a Depression in which many Kansans had come to distrust the establishment, Brinkley responded by conducting a write-in campaign for governor as an independent candidate, apparently in an effort to get his medical license back. He flew throughout the state appearing at rallies to promote his campaign.
Brinkley got almost 30 percent of the vote, according to the website of the Kansas State Historical Society. But Republican Frank Haucke and Democrat Harry Woodring both received more, and Woodring won the governor’s office.
Some historians think Brinkley lost only because the state’s attorney general had ruled that votes for him wouldn’t count unless they gave his name properly as “J.R. Brinkley.” Many ballots didn’t give his name properly.
Brinkley ran unsuccessfully for governor again in 1932 and 1934. Meanwhile, he’d been rocked by medical lawsuits and seen his broadcasting license revoked.
Brinkley moved to Del Rio, Texas, and built a powerful radio transmitter just across the border in Mexico, which the U.S. government couldn’t regulate.
Still, Brinkley declared bankruptcy in 1941. After three heart attacks and the amputation of a leg, he died at age 56 in 1942 in San Antonio, Texas. (LINK)—10/17/2018
MICHIGAN MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—4301059909 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—No actions listed as of 10/29/2018
Cell phone images key in sexual misconduct charges against jail doctor
Photographs and video on a cellphone were the key evidence that led to the filing of criminal charges against a doctor accused of sexually assaulting three female inmates while treating them at the Macomb County Jail, county Sheriff Anthony Wickersham said Friday.
Dr. Steven Paul Cogswell, 53, of Waterford Township, was jailed in lieu of $250,000 cash or surety bond following his arraignment on six counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Wickersham told reporters at a morning news conference jail personnel received a note from an inmate on Sept. 16 alleging Cogswell intentionally and inappropriately touched the genitals of two female inmates during treatment in the medical unit at the facility in Mount Clemens. The sheriff said jail officials immediately started to investigate and learned inappropriate contact occurred with a third female inmate.
Detectives obtained a search warrant for Cogswell’s home and seized a cellphone and computer equipment from his home. The phone had images of the three victims and the sexual misconduct, Wickersham said.
The sheriff identified the victims as a 31-year-old woman from Sterling Heights, a 29-year-old female from Roseville and a 27-year-old resident of Port Huron. In one of the incidents, the victim was offered candy and tobacco in exchange for her performing a sexual act on the doctor, Wickersham said.
Medical care of inmates at the Macomb County Jail is provided through a contract with Correct Care Solutions. Cogswell began treating inmates at the jail on Aug. 8, 2018. His last day worked at the jail was Sept. 14.
Cogswell was fired by Correct Care Solutions on Oct. 10, Wickersham said.
Second-degree criminal sexual conduct is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
The accused doctor turned himself in Friday morning at the Sheriff’s Office. At Cogswell’s arraignment Friday afternoon at 41-B District Court in Clinton Township, Macomb County Assistant Prosecutor Sian Hengeveld requested his bond be set no less than $250,000 cash or surety because of the severity of the charges and because she was concerned the accused physician may have financial resources to flee the area. Hengeveld also asked Cogswell be placed on a tether if he manages to get out of jail after posting bail.
“We do have concerns he won’t return for his court date,” the assistant prosecutor said.
Defense attorney Stephen Rabaut told the magistrate Cogswell is married with three children and has resided only in Michigan with extensive ties to the area.
“There’s no risk to the community at large,” Rabaut said. “He’s not a risk of flight whatsoever.
“He’s not going anywhere.”
Magistrate Ryan Zemke set bond at $250,000 cash or surety and told the accused doctor that if he is released on bail, he must be on a tether and only leave home to see his own physician or to meet with his attorney.
Cogswell said “thank you” at the conclusion of the brief hearing but made no significant comment while on video. He is scheduled to return to the court for a probable-cause conference on Oct. 31.
Rabaut declined to comment to reporters.
Earlier in the day, Wickersham explained the procedures when any of the 1,100 inmates are treated: A corrections officer assigned to the clinic transports inmate patients to and from the treatment area. A second officer is stationed there strictly for security. The door to the examination room is kept open at all times, for the safety of the working physician. A curtain is then drawn within the room, around the examination area. No females are present when inmates – male or female – are treated.
There are no security cameras in the exam room.
“There’s a lot of activity going on in and around that area,” the sheriff said.
Wickersham appeared – and acknowledged – that he is troubled that such alleged incidents could have occurred in the county facility he oversees by virtue of his title as county sheriff.
“Yeah, it does anger me,” he told reporters.
Physicians provided by Correct Care Solutions treated inmates needing medical treatment or requesting medical attention, Monday through Friday and occasionally on Saturdays. During his less than 6-week stint working at the Macomb Jail, Cogswell treated most of them, often upward of 20 inmates per day.
The company does not require that a nurse be present, and does not have gender specific policies in regards to treatment of inmates, but sheriff’s officials have asked the firm to change policy in that regard, Wickersham explained
The sheriff said there were no other reports of improper acts made against Cogswell by other inmates, and he urged anyone who may have any criminal allegations against any jail staff to come forward.
“We have nothing to hide. We will do the investigation. If there’s wrongdoing, we will prosecute,” the sheriff said.
“This man’s actions were an outrageous abuse of power,” Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith said Thursday of Cogswell. “Dr. Cogswell had access to vulnerable women and sexually exploited them. This type of despicable behavior from a medical professional will not be tolerated.”
Dr. Cogswell is a family medicine specialist at Personalized Family Healthcare in Troy and has been practicing for 26 years. He graduated from the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine in 1992.
Correct Care Solutions has been contracted by Macomb County government for health care service at the jail since 2011. The contract was put out for bids three years ago, and Correct Care Solutions was the only firm that submitted a proposal, according to Wickersham.
The contract expires at the end of 2018, and requests for new proposals have been issued, he said.
A replacement physician has been brought in to the county jail and medical care continues, the sheriff added.
According to Correct Care Solutions’ website, the health care firm provides medical and behavioral health services for almost 300,000 patients located in state hospitals, forensic treatment and civil commitment centers, and local, state and federal correctional facilities in 38 states.
The Nashville, Tenn.-based company recently completed combining services with Correctional Medical Group, with a total of 15,000 employees including 14,000 clinicians, working in more than 550 clinics and hospitals. The company declined comment on the Cogswell case. (LINK)—10/19/2018
KENTUCKY MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—50978 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—License Active; Document
Doctor accused of being drunk at work. Kentucky regulators issue emergency suspension.
A doctor who caused concern that he was drunk at work in Hazard has been suspended from practicing in Kentucky.
The Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure released an emergency suspension order against Dr. Thomas Paul Splan on Friday.
Splan lives in Virginia but was working on a temporary basis at the Appalachian Regional Healthcare hospital in Hazard when the incident happened, according to the suspension order.
According to a complaint filed with the board, an ARH administrator got a call from staff members on April 6 who were concerned that Splan was impaired.
Another doctor said Splan’s eyes were red and that he could barely stand, and one staffer said she had seen Splan asleep at his desk several times and that he had fallen asleep while she was talking with him.
Splan, whose specialty is internal medicine, took a test that showed his blood alcohol level was .187, the suspension order said.
That is more than twice the legal driving limit in Kentucky.
During an evaluation at a center in Virginia, Splan said he’d been treated for alcohol dependence, but had been sober since Feb. 23, 2011 before drinking alcohol on a flight from Richmond, Va., to Lexington on March 31, according to the order.
Splan said he started work at the Hazard hospital on April 2.
He would get up at 6 a.m., work until 8 p.m., then go back to the motel and drink, according to the order.
Splan said he drank nearly a fifth of alcohol every day, stopping about midnight before his shift early on April 6.
Splan said he felt tired and “fairly hung over” that day, but did not feel intoxicated.
He was fired from his job at ARH.
The treatment center concluded Splan has severe alcohol use disorder and that he should not be considered safe to practice medicine until completing residential treatment.
Splan did not take steps to enter treatment, the KBML said in its order.
Splan told a board investigator in early October that he had not had a drink since the incident in Hazard and did not think it was necessary for him to go into treatment.
He said he was working at a hospital in Virginia and had not had any problems, according to the Kentucky suspension order. (LINK)—10/19/2018
An Esteemed Doctor, Child Sexual Abuse Claims and a Hospital That Knew for Years
For almost 30 years, parents sought out Dr. Reginald Archibald when their children would not grow. They came to his clinic at The Rockefeller University Hospital, a prominent New York research institution, where he treated and studied children who were small for their age.
He also may have sexually abused many of them.
The hospital sent a letter last month to former patients of Dr. Archibald asking about their contact with him. Ten days later, on Oct. 5, it posted a statement online saying it had evidence of the doctor’s “inappropriate” behavior with some patients and that it first had learned of credible allegations against him in 2004. The letter went out to as many as 1,000 people, said a former patient who spoke with a hospital administrator.
Dr. Archibald, an endocrinologist who spent most of his career at Rockefeller, died in 2007. His son, Larry, declined to comment. “This doesn’t make any sense to me,” he said.
The New York Times spoke with 17 people, most of them men, who said they were abused by Dr. Archibald when they were young boys or adolescents. Most of them learned of the possibility of other victims for the first time when they received the letter. A few, however, said they had filed complaints with the hospital or authorities in the past, but their allegations were not investigated.
“To know that they knew about this in 2004 and didn’t reach out to people, it’s absolutely outrageous,” said Matt Harris, now 58, a former patient of Dr. Archibald.
The men all described similar experiences with Dr. Archibald, who would tell them to disrobe when they were alone in his examination room. He would masturbate them or ask them to masturbate, sometimes to ejaculation.
The doctor took pictures of them, while they were naked, with a Polaroid camera, and measured their penises both flaccid and erect, the men said.
Some of the former patients said they saw Dr. Archibald only once and some went back annually for many years as subjects in his studies.
Their stories paint a picture of an esteemed doctor who wielded great authority with parents desperate to help their children and patients too young to know the difference between legitimate medical practice and molestation. The alleged abuse would have occurred in an era in which few safeguards existed for those patients.
“You are robbed of knowing what’s real and what’s not real. That’s the real cost of this thing,” said Mr. Harris, who, like many of the patients who spoke with The Times, has talked to a lawyer.
In response to questions from The Times, the hospital said in a statement Thursday that after the letters were sent, it heard from many former patients alleging abuse. The hospital said it has set up a fund to provide counseling for the victims.
“We are appalled to hear those accounts of Dr. Archibald’s reprehensible behavior. We deeply regret pain and suffering caused to any of Dr. Archibald’s former patients,” the statement read.
A hospital spokesman declined to answer questions about when the hospital first learned of the allegations and why it did not try to contact a wider array of former patients earlier.
In its earlier statement, the hospital said that in 2004, it received an allegation of “impropriety” during Dr. Archibald’s physical examinations, which it did not specify.
The hospital said it informed the Manhattan district attorney’s office, the state office that oversees medical conduct and a federal research agency. It also hired Debevoise & Plimpton, a law firm, to investigate. The inquiry turned up two additional reports dating to the 1990s.
The hospital did not say where the allegations from the 1990s were filed and what the response to them had been. A spokeswoman for the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., could not immediately confirm whether the office had received the allegation from the hospital in 2004.
Earlier this year, separate allegations against Dr. Archibald were reported to the hospital, which again hired Debevoise & Plimpton.
“Based on its investigation, the law firm concluded that some of Dr. Archibald’s behaviors involving these patients were inappropriate,” the statement said.
The hospital said it has scrubbed Dr. Archibald’s name from its web pages and rescinded his emeritus status.
The possibility of a large number of victims could pose a serious financial threat to the research institution. Under current New York law, the statute of limitations for victims to sue the hospital has long passed.
But a proposed change to the law, supported by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, would lengthen the statute of limitations for filing criminal charges and civil suits in child sexual abuse cases, and crucially, create a one-year window in which all victims could sue, regardless of when the abuse happened. The legislation has been held up in the State Senate and is vigorously opposed by institutions, including the Roman Catholic Church, which has argued that the one-year window could lead to catastrophic financial damage.
Dr. Archibald worked as a doctor, researcher and professor at The Rockefeller University Hospital from 1941 to 1946 and again from 1948 to 1980. He kept his affiliation with the institution, as an emeritus, until 1987.
His former patients remembered him as avuncular and authoritative, with white hair as he grew older. They also remembered his strange methods. Their allegations suggest a pattern of sexual abuse from the 1950s through the 1970s among patients as young as 6 and as old as 17.
Michael Manfre, now 57, recalled Dr. Archibald asking him to masturbate when he was about 12 years old and then doing it himself. “Keep trying,” Mr. Manfre, of Massapequa, N.Y., remembered Dr. Archibald saying, encouraging him to ejaculate.
Mr. Harris, who now lives in Port Washington, N.Y., said that during a visit in the 1970s, the doctor massaged the area between his testes and anus, asking if it felt good.
Many of Dr. Archibald’s patients were short for their age, and their parents worried about the teasing and shame they might experience in school if they hit puberty years behind their peers.
Dr. Archibald was known as a growth specialist who administered hormones, such as testosterone, which he hypothesized could help spur puberty and increase the height children would reach. To better understand children’s growth and create a control group, he often had siblings come to the clinic, former patients said.
Taking measurements of boys’ genitals when doctors were concerned about delayed puberty was considered normal until the 1980s or 1990s, said Dr. Howard Markel, a professor of medical history at the University of Michigan. But doing so when they were erect, asking them to masturbate, particularly while the doctor was present, was not considered acceptable, even at that time, he said.
Nearly every victim remembered having to strip naked, stand against a wall and hold their palms out facing forward while Dr. Archibald took photographs. One patient provided a copy of a release signed by that person’s mother giving Rockefeller permission to photograph her child “for the advancement of medical science.”
At least two articles published by Dr. Archibald contain pictures of naked boys in the stance described by these victims. One of those articles also contains close-ups of the boys’ genitals.
While almost every alleged victim said the abuse occurred in the doctor’s examination room, one described a dark encounter far away from the hospital. A 58-year-old Brooklyn man said he believed Dr. Archibald raped him on a trip to the doctor’s Canadian summer home.
The former patient, who asked to be identified only by his first name, John, because of the nature of the alleged assault, said Dr. Archibald watched him masturbate during examinations at the hospital. But one summer, when he was about 13, the doctor convinced his parents to let John accompany him to the house.
One of Dr. Archibald’s former neighbors in Pelham, N.Y., who visited the lake, recalled that every year Dr. Archibald would take a young boy to help prepare the wooden cabins for his family’s visit.
John said Dr. Archibald tried to shower with him at a motel on the two-day trip to the house but he ran out of the bathroom. Once they arrived, John said, he believed Dr. Archibald drugged and raped him. He angrily insisted on being taken home, he said.
Dr. Archibald spent only two years of his career away from Rockefeller when, in 1946, he took a job at Johns Hopkins University.
It is unknown how many children participated in Dr. Archibald’s studies.
He maintained records of an estimated 9,000 patients who visited him and other doctors at Rockefeller, according to one victim who said she met with a hospital official and three attorneys representing the hospital in September.
That victim said those attorneys and Dr. Barry Coller, the hospital’s physician in chief, told her that the hospital sent letters to more than 1,000 former patients they were able to identify and locate.
The hospital would not comment on how many former patients received a letter. (LINK)—10/18/2018
OKLAHOMA MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—17372 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—License inactive, no documents available on website. Document
VA psychiatrist who had sex with veteran could face 20 years for witness tampering, U.S. attorney says
Psychiatrist who had sex with veteran could face 20 years for witness tampering
MUSKOGEE — A staff psychiatrist at the Veterans Administration hospital in Muskogee pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to witness tampering involving a patient with whom he had a sexual relationship, prosecutors said.
Stephen Lester Greer, 57, of Tulsa faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced.
“Dr. Greer was a staff psychiatrist at the VA Hospital in Muskogee, Oklahoma,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Douglas A. Horn in a statement. “His job was to treat and protect our veterans who visited that facility for medical care. Instead, Dr. Greer violated his oath as a doctor by having inappropriate sexual contact with a female veteran that he was treating.”
A grand jury indicted Greer on Aug. 16 on one count of witness tampering in a case that was kept sealed until Tuesday, one day before he entered the guilty plea before Magistrate Kimberly West in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, according to court records.
The indictment alleges that Greer urged a woman in July 2016 to lie to federal investigators after he learned that they had launched a criminal investigation into his relationship with his patient.
“When VA hospital administrators discovered the impropriety, Greer attempted to cover-up his actions by coaching the female veteran to lie to federal law enforcement officers,” Horn said.
Specifically, the indictment alleges that Greer advised the woman to lie about several topics, including their sexual relationship, financial assistance he provided her, the paternity of the woman’s baby and the hotel rooms they shared.
According to the indictment, Greer began seeing the unnamed woman in January 2015 as a patient in the Behavioral Health Unit of the VA Medical Center.
Sometime that year, the two exchanged personal cellphone numbers and began a sexual relationship while at the same time Greer continued to maintain a doctor-patient relationship with the woman, according to the indictment.
It says the woman saw Greer for regularly scheduled appointments. On several occasions after the appointments, Greer would drive her to motels in the Muskogee area, where they had sex, it alleges. The practice continued until about June 29, 2016, the indictment states.
After the woman became pregnant in spring 2016, Greer sent her a text message concerning the pregnancy:
“Woman 45 and older lose over half of their pregnancies. Miscarriage in 50%. Placenta Previa, ectopic pregnancy, comorbid fibroid, birth defects and hydatidiform moles take a portion of the remaining pregnancies.
“We both want our daughter to live but the odds are stacked against us. If she makes it, it will be an uphill battle.”
The woman notified Greer in late May that she had miscarried, according to the indictment.
On June 23, 2016, the indictment alleges, Greer drove the woman to the VA Medical Center, where she was admitted to the inpatient Behavioral Health Unit and Greer ordered a pregnancy test be administered.
One week later, hospitial officials learned from an employee that Greer and the woman were seen checking in at a Muskogee motel the day before, according to the indictment.
On July 1, VA officials began investigating the allegations, and Greer was assigned to nonpatient cases, the indictment says.
On July 6, the indictment alleges, Greer drove to the woman’s home and told her that federal law enforcement officers planned to interview her the next day.
Greer coached the woman about what to say to investigators and later said they both should destroy their cellphones, according to the indictment.
Greer ceased practicing July 2, 2017, according to the Oklahoma Medical Licensure Board’s website. His license status is listed as inactive. (LINK)—8/23/2017
Broken Arrow Man Pleads Guilty To Witness Tampering
VA Psychiatrist Had Inappropriate Sexual Contact With Patient, Coached Her To Lie To Investigators
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, announced that STEPHEN LESTER GREER, age 57, of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma was arraigned and plead guilty to the charge in the indictment returned by the Grand Jury on August 16, 2017.
Defendant, STEPHEN LESTER GREER, was charged with TAMPERING WITH A WITNESS, VICTIM, OR INFORMANT, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1512.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Veterans Affairs – Office of Inspector General.
Acting United States Attorney Douglas A. Horn stated “Dr. Greer was a staff psychiatrist at the VA Hospital in Muskogee, Oklahoma. His job was to treat and protect our veterans who visited that facility for medical care. Instead, Dr. Greer violated his oath as a doctor by having inappropriate sexual contact with a female veteran that he was treating. When VA hospital administrators discovered the impropriety, Greer attempted to cover-up his actions by coaching the female veteran to lie to federal law enforcement officers. Special agents of the Veterans Affairs – Office of Inspector General conducted a thorough investigation and worked extensively and professionally with the victim to bring Dr. Greer to justice.”
The Honorable Kimberly E. West, Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, presided over the hearing. The defendant was released on a $10,000.00 unsecured bond.
The statutory range of punishment for Tampering with a Witness, Victim or Informant is up to 20 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
Acting United States Attorney Douglas Horn and Assistant United States Attorney Kristin Harrington represented the United States. (LINK)—8/23/2017
Tulsa Man Sentenced To 21 Months For Tampering With Witness
VA Psychiatrist Inappropriately Involved With Patient
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Stephen Lester Greer, age 58, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 21 months imprisonment and three years supervised release for Tampering With A Witness, Victim, Or Informant, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1512(b)(3). The charge arose from an investigation by the Department of Veterans Affairs - Office of Inspector General.
The Indictment alleged that from in or about June 29, 2016, and continuing until in or about July 7, 2016, Stephen Lester Greer, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, did knowingly intimidate, threaten, or corruptly persuade Patient A, or attempted to do so, and engaged in misleading conduct toward Patient A, with intent to hinder, delay, or prevent the communication to federal law enforcement officers by Patient A of information relating to the commission or possible commission of a Federal offense.
In June 2016, an employee of the Jack C. Montgomery Veterans Affairs Medical Center recognized Stephen Lester Greer and Patient A checking into the La Quinta Inn and Suites in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Stephen Lester Greer was a staff psychiatrist for the Jack C. Montgomery Veterans Affairs Medical Center from March 2013 until July 2016. During the subsequent investigation, Special Agents with the Department of Veterans Affairs - Office of Inspector General interviewed Greer and admonished him to have no further contact with this patient. Instead, Greer met with his patient and instructed her to lie to federal law enforcement officers about their sexual relationship, the financial assistance Greer provided to her, the paternity of the patient’s unborn baby and the hotel rooms they both shared. Greer also advised the patient that they both needed to destroy their cellphones to prevent law enforcement officers from reading their text message communications.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, presided over the sentencing hearing and ruled that Stephen Lester Greer’s sentencing range should be adjusted upward because Patient A was a “vulnerable victim.” Patient A was a US Army veteran who had suffered a brain injury that resulted in seizures and other serious mental health problems. Judge White further ruled that Steven Lester Greer abused his position of trust as the psychiatrist that treated Patient A, prescribed her medication, maintained a sexual relationship with Patient A and then attempted to persuade her to lie to federal investigators.
In 2004 and 2005, the Oklahoma Medical Board of Licensure and Supervision investigated Greer for inappropriate conduct with a female patient. In January 2005, Greer was suspended from the practice of medicine for inappropriate contact with a female patient while also prescribing drugs to that patient. In June 2006, the Oklahoma Medical Board of Licensure and Supervision reinstated his medical license.
United States Attorney Brian J. Kuester said, “Veterans defend and protect America every day through their service. In return for this service, America has pledged to care for returning veterans with medical treatment, educational benefits and other assistance. Dr. Greer completely shattered and disregarded the obligations that Americans have to disabled veterans by abusing his position at the VA Hospital in Muskogee, Oklahoma by having an inappropriate relationship with a female patient that he was treating. The Department of Veterans Affairs - Office of Inspector General did an excellent job in working with the U. S. Attorney’s Office in this investigation. Any VA employee that commits federal criminal conduct will be held accountable for their crimes. Judge White’s imprisonment of Dr. Greer reflects the commitment of the Department of Justice in protecting our veterans. Veterans honor America through their service. All Americans owe them only the best.”
The Honorable Ronald A. White, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, presided over the hearing. First Assistant United States Attorney Douglas Horn and Assistant United States Attorney Kristin Harrington represented the United States. The defendant will remain on bond and must report to the designated federal facility on November 26, 2018 where the non-paroleable sentence will be served. (LINK)—10/25/2018
TEXAS MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—M8428 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—License Suspended; see medical board action at the bottom of this blog post.
State temporarily suspends Lubbock physician
LUBBOCK, Texas - On Friday, the Texas Medical Board announced the temporary suspension of Brianne Nicole Williams, M.D., of Lubbock.
“Her continuation in the practice of medicine poses a continuing threat to public welfare,” the medical board said.
The suspension was effective immediately.
“The Board panel found that Dr. Williams suffers from impairment due to use of drugs, narcotics, chemicals, or other substances,” the medical board said.
While the announcement on Friday did not say which drugs or substances were at issue, a 2012 investigation found that Dr. Williams abused Hydrocodone, Dilaudid, Demerol and Fentanyl.
In addition to the current issue, in 2015, she made a deal to get her license back after she completed a substance abuse program.
The following is the announcement from the Texas Medical Board:
TMB suspends Lubbock physician
On October 26, 2018, a disciplinary panel of the Texas Medical Board temporarily suspended, without notice, the Texas medical license of Brianne Nicole Williams, M.D. (Lic. No. M8428), after determining her continuation in the practice of medicine poses a continuing threat to public welfare. The suspension was effective immediately.
The Board panel found that Dr. Williams suffers from impairment due to use of drugs, narcotics, chemicals, or other substances, or as a result of any mental or physical condition. Dr. Williams was previously terminated from her position with her employer for substance use issues and was terminated from the Texas Physician Health Program due to repeated non-compliance.
A temporary suspension hearing with notice will be held as soon as practicable with 10 days’ notice to Dr. Williams, unless the hearing is specifically waived by Dr. Williams.
The temporary suspension remains in place until the Board takes further action.
Action Date: 10/26/2018 Description: ON OCTOBER 26, 2018, A DISCIPLINARY PANEL OF THE TEXAS MEDICAL BOARD TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED, WITHOUT NOTICE, THE TEXAS MEDICAL LICENSE OF BRIANNE NICOLE WILLIAMS, M.D., AFTER DETERMINING HER CONTINUATION IN THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE POSES A CONTINUING THREAT TO PUBLIC WELFARE. THE SUSPENSION WAS EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY. THE BOARD PANEL FOUND THAT DR. WILLIAMS SUFFERS FROM IMPAIRMENT DUE TO USE OF DRUGS, NARCOTICS, CHEMICALS, OR OTHER SUBSTANCES, OR AS A RESULT OF ANY MENTAL OR PHYSICAL CONDITION. DR. WILLIAMS WAS PREVIOUSLY TERMINATED FROM HER POSITION WITH HER EMPLOYER FOR SUBSTANCE USE ISSUES AND WAS TERMINATED FROM THE TEXAS PHYSICIAN HEALTH PROGRAM DUE TO REPEATED NON-COMPLIANCE. A TEMPORARY SUSPENSION HEARING WITH NOTICE WILL BE HELD AS SOON AS PRACTICABLE WITH 10 DAYS’ NOTICE TO DR. WILLIAMS, UNLESS THE HEARING IS SPECIFICALLY WAIVED BY DR. WILLIAMS. THE TEMPORARY SUSPENSION REMAINS IN PLACE UNTIL THE BOARD TAKES FURTHER ACTION.
Action Date: 08/31/2015 Description: ON AUGUST 31, 2015, AGREED ORDER DATED APRIL 10, 2015, WAS TERMINATED DUE TO COMPLETION OF ALL REQUIREMENTS.
Action Date: 04/10/2015 Document Description: ON APRIL 10, 2015, THE BOARD AND BRIANNE NICOLE WILLIAMS, M.D., ENTERED AN AGREED ORDER TERMINATING SUSPENSION, TERMINATING DR. WILLAMS’ 2012 ORDER, LIFTING DR. WILLIAMS’ SUSPENSION, REFERRING HER TO THE PHYSICIAN HEALTH PROGRAM (PHP) AND REQUIRING HER TO SUBMIT TO AN EVALUATION AND COMPLY WITH ANY AND ALL RECOMMENDATIONS MADE BY PHP. THE BOARD FOUND DR. WILLIAMS IS IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE 2012 ORDER.
Action Date: 05/19/2014 Description: ON MAY 19, 2014, REMEDIAL PLAN DATED OCTOBER 18, 2013 WAS TERMINATED DUE TO COMPLETION OF ALL REQUIREMENTS.
Action Date: 10/18/2013 Document Description: ON OCTOBER 18, 2013, THE BOARD AND BRIANNE NICOLE WILLIAMS, M.D., ENTERED INTO A NON-DISCIPLINARY REMEDIAL PLAN THAT REQUIRES DR. WILLIAMS TO WITHIN ONE YEAR COMPLETE THE REQUIRED 48 HOURS OF CME REGARDING DR. WILLIAMS’ LICENSE RENEWAL PERIOD AUDIT OF SEPTEMBER 1, 2010 TO AUGUST 31, 2012, WITH AT LEAST TWO HOURS IN MEDICAL ETHICS AND/OR PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY, AS REQUIRED BY BOARD RULE 166.2; WITHIN ONE YEAR COMPLETE AT LEAST FOUR ADDITIONAL HOURS OF CME IN ETHICS; AND WITHIN 60 DAYS PAY AN ADMINISTRATIVE PENALTY OF $500 PER YEAR. THE BOARD FOUND DR. WILLIAMS FAILED TO OBTAIN AND/OR DOCUMENT THE REQUIRED REMAINING 48 HOURS OF CME REGARDING HER LICENSE RENEWAL PERIOD AUDIT. DR. WILLIAMS DOES NOT ADMIT OR DENY THE FINDINGS BUT AGREED TO THE REMEDIAL PLAN TO AVOID THE COST AND UNCERTAINTY OF LITIGATION.
Action Date: 06/08/2012 Document Description: ON JUNE 8, 2012, THE BOARD AND BRIANNE WILLIAMS, M.D., ENTERED INTO AN AGREED ORDER OF SUSPENSION IN WHICH DR. WILLIAMS MEDICAL LICENSE WAS SUSPENDED UNTIL SUCH TIME AS SHE APPEARS BEFORE THE BOARD AND PROVIDES CLEAR AND CONVINCING EVIDENCE THAT SHE IS PHYSICALLY, MENTALLY AND OTHERWISE COMPETENT TO SAFELY PRACTICE MEDICINE. THE BOARD FOUND DR. WILLIAMS, WHO SELF-REPORTED SUBSTANCE ABUSE TO THE TEXAS PHYSICIAN HEALTH PROGRAM, VIOLATED HER 2011 MONITORING AGREEMENT WITH TXPHP.
Clark Co. Surgeon Accused Of Operating Under The Influence
WINCHESTER, Ky. (LEX 18)– A Clark County doctor’s medical license is currently restricted for an indefinite period of time, according to an Agreed Order from the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure. The order says this is due to concerns of possible impairment in the operating room of the Clark Regional Medical Center.
Clark Regional Medical Center said that Dr. Michael R. Heilig had privileges to practice there since 2002. His privileges have been suspended until further notice.
Heilig specializes in Orthopedic Surgery.
The hospital administrator reported to the board that on May 10, he received a call that the staff had concerns about Heilig being impaired in the operating room. Robert Parker, the administrator, said that Heilig had completed two surgeries and was about to begin the third.
Parker told the board that he met with Heilig and felt that he was impaired. He said that Heilig submitted to a drug screen, was sent home, and was advised that his privileges were suspended pending the result of a referral to the Kentucky Physicians Health Foundation.
The order says that a copy of Heilig’s drug screen showed the presence of alpha-hydroxy-alprazolam, noroxycodone, oxycodone, and oxymorphone. The lab report result stated that Heilig submitted a prescription for oxycodone from 2009.
A nurse working with Heilig in the operating room on May 10 provided a written statement to the board, saying that Heilig was “talking a little weird” and “almost fell like he lost his balance,” during the first surgery. She said that he was “losing his balance” and “not acting like himself” on the second surgery. During the third surgery, she said he was walking “backward like stumbling with his eyes closed and mumbling” and that he “went to sit on a stool and almost missed the stool.” She said that, “he tried to put the Esmarch on prior to draping” and she told him that they needed to drape first. She said that he said “we do, we do; like he was confused on the order of what to do.” She said they aborted the case when he had the drapes in his hand, according to the order.
He was practicing as a partner at the Kentucky Orthopedic Associates along with Greg Grau M.D. and James Rice, M.D. During an interview with the board, Grau said that the practice manager reviewed records after the incident at the hospital and they noticed that Heilig appeared to be self-prescribing Ambien as well as phoning in prescriptions for Ambien for himself under Dr. Grau’s and Dr. Rice’s DEA registrations.
The order also stated that the practice manager noticed that Heilig had prescribed Ambien to his wife seventeen times and to his brother twenty-four times. It also stated he had prescribed Tramadol to his brother once. The practice manager said that there were no charts to verify the prescriptions and that Heilig’s wife and brother are not patients of the practice.
Grau and Rice said that they did not provide or have knowledge of any prescriptions to the licensee or his family.
A practice consultant told LEX 18 Thursday that Dr. Heilig is no longer with Kentucky Orthopedic Associates.
On or around June 3, the order says that Heilig was assessed at Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation under the recommendation of the Kentucky Physicians Health Foundation. Heilig was diagnosed with Axis I diagnoses of Ambien Use Disorder (Mild) and Percocet Use Disorder (Mild).
On June 22, Heilig wrote a written response to the Board that stated he performed orthopedic surgeries on his mother and his sister-in-law and believed medical records substantiated the need for prescription medication. He pledged to not treat or prescribe any medication to himself or his family members ever again, unless in an emergency situation. He said he’d enrolled in the Prescribing Controlled Drugs course at Vanderbilt Unversity and that in his written response to the Board, he acknowledged his problem with Zolpidem (generic Ambien) and outlined steps he was taking to address his problem.
Heilig agreed to a five-year contract with the Foundation on June 25 that included a provision that Heilig will not return to the clinical practice of medicine until he has three consecutive months of documented sobriety.
Clark Regional Medical Center released a statement:
Clark Regional Medical Center is committed to providing excellent quality of care to all of its patients in an environment that promotes patient safety. Dr. Heilig is an independent physician with a practice based in Winchester, KY. He was formerly a member of the medical staff at Clark Regional Medical Center from 2002 to 2018. As a practice, the hospital does not discuss any matters involving current or former members of our medical staff. (LINK)—10/25/2018
TEXAS MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—L2127 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—License Suspended; see medical board actions at the bottom of this blog post
Fort Sam Houston doctor suspended after pleading guilty to indecency with a child charge
SAN ANTONIO - The Texas Medical Board (TMB) has issued a suspension notice for Mark Alan Barnhardt . According to online records, Barnhardt specialized in pediatrics. The suspension comes after Barnhardt pleaded guilty to indecency with a child/exposure.
He was arrested Sept. 25 on the charge, which is a third-degree felony.
The TMB will hold a suspension hearing. A date has not been announced at this time. (LINK)—10/26/2018
MEDICAL BOARD ACTIONS
Action Date: 10/26/2018 Description: ON OCTOBER 26, 2018, A DISCIPLINARY PANEL OF THE TEXAS MEDICAL BOARD TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED, WITHOUT NOTICE, THE TEXAS MEDICAL LICENSE OF MARK ALAN BARNHARDT, D.O., AFTER DETERMINING HIS CONTINUATION IN THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE POSES A CONTINUING THREAT TO PUBLIC WELFARE. THE SUSPENSION WAS EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY. THE BOARD PANEL FOUND THAT DR. BARNHARDT ON OR ABOUT SEPTEMBER 25, 2018, WAS ARRESTED AND CHARGED WITH ONE COUNT OF INDECENCY WITH A CHILD BY EXPOSURE, A THIRD DEGREE FELONY AND PLED GUILTY TO THE CHARGE AND AN ORDER OF DEFERRED ADJUDICATION WAS ENTERED BY THE COURT. A TEMPORARY SUSPENSION HEARING WITH NOTICE WILL BE HELD AS SOON AS PRACTICABLE WITH 10 DAYS’ NOTICE TO DR. BARNHARDT, UNLESS THE HEARING IS SPECIFICALLY WAIVED BY DR. BARNHARDT. THE TEMPORARY SUSPENSION REMAINS IN PLACE UNTIL THE BOARD TAKES FURTHER ACTION.
Overland Park chiropractor allegedly sexually assaulted former patient. He’s suspended
An Overland Park chiropractor’s license was temporarily suspended after a former patient alleged that she was sexually assaulted by him multiple times.
Christopher Lee Pounds of Overland Park Family Chiropractic allegedly sexually assaulted a woman on three occasions in January, according to civil court records.
A Johnson County district judge ruled in the woman’s favor on May 21 after she filed for a temporary protection order against Pounds. The judge ordered Pounds to not contact, stalk or threaten the woman.
The woman wrote in court records that she feared retaliation by Pounds after reporting the alleged sexual assault, adding that Pounds has access to her work and home addresses through her medical records.
The Star is not naming the woman as part of its policy to protect alleged sexual assault victims’ identities.
The woman filed a report May 9 with Overland Park police. She spoke with an investigator with the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts earlier this month.
The board suspended Pounds’ license on May 25 after finding “an immediate danger exists.”
Officer John Lacy, a spokesman with Overland Park police, said Thursday that the allegations remain under investigation. No charges have been filed.
Pounds’ attorney did not return a request for comment Wednesday.
A hearing will be held to determine whether Pounds’ suspension should remain in effect during the case proceedings.
The board found evidence in 2013 that “there may be grounds” that Pounds’ ability to treat his patients would be “impaired by reason of physical or mental illness, or condition or use of alcohol, drugs or controlled substances,” according to a report by the agency.
On his application for licensure, Pounds answered “no” to a question of prior arrests, according to the report. But the board found Pounds had been arrested in January 2009.
The board issued a license to Pounds on the condition that he comply with a consent order.
The consent order and Pounds’ license were granted in June 2013.
Two months later, the board denied Pounds’ request for a modification to the consent order, writing, “(Pounds) did not obtain Board approval of the therapist, thus, failing to abide by the terms of the consent order.”
Other conditions of the order are redacted in the document:
“…the Board finds that (Pounds) did not comply with the terms of the consent order when he failed to obtain (redacted),” the report states.
Then, in April 2014, the board granted Pounds’ motion to terminate the consent order, concluding Pounds had “satisfactorily met all requirements” of the order and that “termination of the monitoring and (redacted) requirements are warranted in the circumstances.”
A hearing in Johnson County District Court regarding the protection order against Pounds is set for June 7. (LINK)—5/30/2018
Kansas chiropractor gives up license amid sex abuse inquiry
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — A suburban Kansas City chiropractor has surrendered his medical license as a state board investigates sexual abuse reports.
Pounds worked from this location in Overland Park-google image
Overland Park, Kansas, chiropractor Christopher L. Pounds made the decision to surrender his license last week after it was suspended on an emergency basis in May. The suspension came after a female patient reported abuse and got a protection order from a judge because she said she feared he would retaliate.
A subsequent order issued last week said the board had received information from two of the chiropractor’s patients “who independently reported similar instances of sexual abuse, misconduct and/or improper sexual contact.”
The chiropractor admitted no wrongdoing in surrendering his license but agreed that the board had enough evidence to prove he had violated the medical board’s rules. (LINK)—6/28/2018
Overland Park chiropractor with revoked license charged with sexual battery
OLATHE, Kan. — A chiropractor who practiced in Overland Park and was issued an emergency license suspension this summer and subsequent revocation is facing two counts of sexual battery. Dr. Christopher L. Pounds, 38, was arrested Monday, his charges stem from alleged incidents in September of 2017 and January of 2018.
A criminal complaint shows he’s accused of inappropriately touching two different victims. A civil filing from one of the victims accuses him of sexual assault, saying it happened on three separate occasions. The victim notified the Kansas Board of Healing Arts, which issued an emergency suspension on May 25, and then revoked Pounds’ license on June 20.
Pounds practiced at Overland Park Family Chiropractic, located at 12070 Blue Valley Parkway. Records with the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office show he owned and operated the practice, opening it in 2014.
Pounds’ charges are misdemeanors and his bond is set at $10,000. Court records show he’s due in court on Tuesday afternoon. (LINK)—10/22/2018
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