There are a great many standards that doctors are supposed to comply with in their practice of medicine. These standards touch on a wide variety of different issues, including: interactions with patients, the treatment of patients, the prescribing of medications, the disinfecting of instruments, the keeping of records and the handling of samples. Accusations of having violated these sorts of professional standards can put a doctor at risk of losing their medical license.
Recently, a family physician here in Pennsylvania had a temporary license suspension order issued against her in relation to allegations of professional misconduct.
The State Board of Medicine has accused the doctor, whose office is in Steelton, of many forms of misconduct, including:
- Using Lysol, rather than substances that meet the minimum standards for disinfection, to disinfect medical tools between uses on patients.
- Leaving dirty medical equipment in a sink for an extended period of time.
- Failing to properly label some specimens and samples she took from patients.
- Not keeping adequate patient records.
- Putting off things like reviewing test results, informing patients of test results and scheduling follow-ups with patients.
The State Board of Medicine issued the temporary suspension against the doctor on April 9. There will be a preliminary hearing held in relation to the matter.
License-related hearings are a very serious thing. What happens in such hearings can have vast impacts on a doctor’s professional future. Facing such a hearing may leave a physician feeling overwhelmed. An important thing to note is that physicians don’t have to go into such hearings without help and support. License defense attorneys can help physicians prepare for such hearings and can fight for as favorable of a result as possible for a physician in such hearings.
Source: WHTM, “Pa. board suspends medical license of Steelton doctor,” Myles Snyder and Megan Healey, April 15, 2014
