Special Report: Disciplined Docs Practice Freely in CT
Past infractions not showing up on state records
Earlier this year, Neha Batheja, a physician assistant, quietly signed a consent order with the New York State Board for Professional Medical Conduct in which she accepted a censure, reprimand, $5,000 fine and three years’ probation on charges of practicing medicine fraudulently. Records say she wrote improper prescriptions for Vicodin in 2006, signing a physician’s name without authorization and giving the narcotics to someone who was not a patient.
Today, Batheja practices in Connecticut, under a state license issued in January 2007 that carries no mention of the New York charges.
The Rhode Island Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline revoked Dr. Steve Tu’s license to practice medicine in January 2009, after he was accused of bilking “numerous” patients for Lasik surgery that was never performed. The Rhode Island board reported the revocation to the state of Connecticut, where Tu also held a license.
But as Rhode Island pursued the disciplinary action, ultimately placing Tu on one year’s probation in October 2009 and ordering him to make restitution, Tu relocated his practice to Manchester, Conn., according to records.
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If a physician is found negligent or incompetent in one state, it makes perfect sense that other states where that physician is licensed should look at that action and take actions on their own, for the sake of patient safety
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