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Panel recommends physician’s license be reinstated with two‑year probation and reporting to Department of Public Health
Summary
After an executive session, a disciplinary panel concluded the physician’s illnesses were not found to have affected patient safety and recommended reinstating the physician’s license with two years of probation, treatment requirements, employer reporting to the Department of Public Health, and restrictions on solo practice and night duties.
A disciplinary fact‑finding panel reconvened on the record and announced that, after an executive session, it would recommend reinstating the respondent’s medical license subject to two years of probation and several conditions.
Counsel summarizing the panel’s conclusions said the panel “did not find that the respondent’s illnesses had affected her patient safety,” while noting they “might” in some circumstances. The panel recommended license reinstatement with probation that would require continued treatment with the respondent’s current providers and periodic reports to the Department of Public Health about the respondent’s status and safe practice of medicine.
The panel outlined additional conditions intended to reduce patient‑safety risk. Counsel said the memorandum of decision would require the respondent to provide the memorandum to future employers and indicated employers would, in turn, be expected to report to the Department of Public Health, probably on a quarterly basis, about the respondent’s ability to practice. The panel said the respondent should practice in a non‑solo setting with other clinicians available and that the memorandum should prohibit night‑time clinical assignments; one panel member, Dr. Wolf, warned that private practices sometimes require occasional off‑hour phone coverage and urged careful drafting of the restriction.
Panel members also discussed whether an external organization called Haven could provide oversight of the probation terms. Counsel said the panel would ask the AG’s office to coordinate a call with Haven to explore whether statutory limitations would allow that organization to serve in an oversight role; if Haven could not, the panel said it would consider alternative monitoring arrangements before finalizing the memorandum of decision.
Panel members agreed that receiving the official transcript before resuming fact‑finding was not necessary. They discussed scheduling a follow‑up fact‑finding session in early April and settled on Tuesday, April 7, at 9:00 a.m. as an agreed time for members who could attend. The panel closed the record after brief closing remarks and thanks; the respondent thanked the panel for the opportunity to return to practice.
Next steps spelled out by panel members included counsel coordinating outreach to Haven and preparing a memorandum of decision that will specify the probation conditions and reporting requirements; the panel said finalization of the decision is contingent on that outreach and on any additional statutory constraints revealed by Haven or counsel.
