When physicians fail, the state Department of Public Health generally hears about it.
During the past year, the DPH heard about two people who pretended to be doctors and practiced medicine in Connecticut without a license. It heard about the doctor who got caught with a stash —more than 20,500 videotapes and more than 1,000 pictures — of child pornography. It heard about the doctor who had a small stash of marijuana in his office as well, who also had a penchant for videotaping his patients when they had an expectation of privacy.
But worst, they heard about tragic outcomes due to physician incompetence and negligence
License Lost
During the past 12 months, the DPH has reviewed 49 physician regulatory action cases, with about a quarter resulting in either licensure suspensions or the voluntary surrender of the license by the doctor.
Ten of the 49 cases pertained to substance abuse or drug related issues and 15 for incompetence and negligence.
DPH spokesman William Gerrish said that the primary purpose of the department’s oversight is to ensure the public’s safety. To that end, the DPH may issue a cease-and-desist order, place a physician on probation and then closely monitor the individual, such as requiring random drug testing and additional training, or require psychological therapy.
If the DPH determines a doctor has been negligent, incompetent or both, the agency will issue a reprimand to be placed permanently on his or her license. In more extreme cases, the DPH will suspend or permanently revoke a doctor’s license.
If the state’s case is strong enough, often a physician will voluntarily surrender his or her license. Such was the case of Dr. James Coppeto, a Waterbury opthamologist arrested for having substantial amounts of child pornography.
Tragic Endings
There are no happy endings when a physician is cited for negligence or incompetence.
This spring, the DPH fined Dr. James Sullivan of Stonington, the medical director at Hillcrest Health Care Center in Uncasville, $7,500 for failing to properly care for an elderly patient. The patient was transferred from the nursing home to a local hospital where the admitting physician called the patient’s condition “a deplorable picture” and identified 14 areas on the patient’s body that were either ulcerated or filthy due to negligent care.
In another case, the DPH recently fined Dr. Vasant Khachane of New Haven $7,500 for failing to follow-up on a 33-year-old patient’s bacterial infection of his aortic valve. The doctor did not review a lab report that identified the bacterial infection in March 2005, which ultimately killed the patient four months later.
Conspiracy To Fraud
Not all DHP cases involve civil penalties or incompetence. Some pertain to illegal conduct. Such is the case of Dr. Juan Fica of Waterbury and Elie Nakouzi of Hamden, both indicted by a Connecticut Grand Jury of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
As a result, Fica surrendered his license to the DPH about six months ago. Nakouzi, however, didn’t surrender his license because he didn’t have one.
The DPH issued a cease and desist order to Nakouzi, who had been practicing medicine without a doctor’s license in Dr. Fica’s Waterbury office for approximately seven years, beginning in 1996.
Legal and money troubles seem to follow those physicians who get into trouble with the DPH. Take Dr. Carl Schiano, who practices internal medicine in Naugatuck. The DPH determined that he had diverted and abused controlled substances since 2002, and had provided negligent and/or incompetent medical care to at least four patients.
His license was suspended between July and November 2006, when his license was reinstated. Since, he has been a party of three collections’ lawsuits.
Identified as a top doc by Connecticut Magazine in 2005, Schiano’s substance abuse problems resulted in the DPH placing him on probation through July 2009. He is now subject to random drug screening and to random reviews of 20 percent of his patient records, and may only practice with at least one other physician who is not in his employ or under his supervision. Additionally, Schiano may not prescribe controlled substances for at least 18 months.
More Needed
Matthew Katz, executive director of the Connecticut State Medical Society, supports the job the DPH is doing in regard to its oversight of the state’s physicians. In fact, he is calling for additional funding for the agency, noting that the agency licenses roughly 15,000 doctors in Connecticut.
