Pennsylvania doctors may want to keep tabs on a recent situation in another state involving a doctor who has been penalized for her demeanor toward a patient. A medical licensing board has suspended the doctor’s license. This administrative penalty was issued in connection to an exchange that occurred between the physician and a patient, who happens to be a college basketball player.
The athlete’s father said his son has a history of suffering due to anxiety attacks. He reportedly takes medication to help him control his condition. However, he recently wound up in an emergency room several days after his prescription had run out because he apparently did not have time to refill it.
The young man is said to have waited several hours for an examination by the ER doctor. Oddly, the college student asked his father to film his examination on his cell phone because he saw the doctor speaking to a security guard and worried that something bad was going to happen. The father allegedly has cell phone audio recording that includes the doctor’s voice, speaking in tones that her patient and administrators say was not becoming of a licensed professional.
The licensing board suspended the doctor’s license for berating the basketball player when he requested help for an anxiety attack. Pennsylvania doctors who have faced complaints from patients because of lack of bedside manner may risk license suspensions if their superiors believe there is evidence that they have been gruff with their patients. The patient in this particular case says he’s considering taking legal action against the hospital. Doctors who incur license suspensions may seek legal support as well to help them defend their licenses and mitigate their circumstances as much as possible.