FORT KENT, Maine — A Fort Kent doctor has agreed to the temporary suspension of her license until the Board of Licensure in Medicine takes final disciplinary action regarding allegations that she prescribed medications for a fictitious patient and picked them up for her own use.
Obstetrician and gynecologist Ellen Michalowski signed the consent agreement on Aug. 26 after the medical board learned in July that she had been self-prescribing, according to a public document issued by the medical board. The suspension took effect on Sept. 9 and will remain in effect until a final ruling is reached. A spokesman for the medical board said Monday that a final ruling is unlikely before November.
Last year, Michalowski was disciplined by the board for obtaining narcotics from more than a dozen medical providers. In that consent agreement, she agreed to a five-year probation during which she must maintain a relationship with a single primary care provider for all her prescription medications, engage in personal counseling and participate in a substance abuse treatment program offered through the Maine Medical Association.
Michalowski’s attorney, Kenneth Lehman, said Monday that his client is “a wonderful physician who has cared for many people with compassion and great skill.” Lehman said he hopes his client will be able to return to her practice.
Michalowski, who has been practicing at Northern Maine Medical Center, is a 1985 graduate of the University of Arizona in Tucson. She was licensed to practice in Maine in 1996.
On 9/16/08 at 11:31 AM,
annavisie wrote:
Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden
AFTER I SAW THIS IN THE NEWS PAPER, I THOUGHT WHERE WAS THE BACK GROUND CHECK ON THIS DR? HOW SAFE WERE HER PATIENTS WHO PUT THEIR LIVES IN THIS DR. HANDS. IT MAKES ME WONDER WHO ELSE DO WE HAVE HERE AS DOCTORS AND DO WE REALLY KNOW THEIR BACK GROUNDS. THIS DR. CAME HERE FROM SOME WHERE ELSE. WHY DID THE BOARD NOT KNOW THAT THE DR. HAD PROBLEMS. AND WHEN THEY WER FIRST MADE AWARE OF THIS WHY WAS SHE NOT PULLED OUT RIGHT AWAY. I HOPE SHE CAN GET THE HELP SHE NEEDS. BUT I HOPE THEY DO NOT ALLOW HER TO PRATICE IN THIS AREA AGAIN. WHERE EVER SHE RELOCATES I PRAY THAT THEY WILL BE MADE AWARE OF HER PROBLEM. PEOPLE HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW.
On 9/17/08 at 3:59 PM,
moosetopia wrote:
Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden
I'm shocked. A Dr. abusing meds!!! We sure do get the cream of the crop for Drs here in Fort Kent!
On 9/18/08 at 9:10 AM,
kris73 wrote:
Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden
Who are we to judge what this woman is going through or the problems she has? Let the good Lord be her judge.
On 9/18/08 at 11:51 AM,
MyThoughts wrote:
Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden
This article seems to be missing a large piece of information, the why of the matter? Could there be a reason this person was taking the medications, that are not even identified? And where does it say that she was abusing them? And how do we know if the 12 providers worked separately or in groups explaining why there would be so many? There seems to be a lot of unanswered questions in this article that any caring person would want answered before they judge this doctor, especially some insight from her patients and colleagues. Newspapers aren't always the purveyor of the facts that they should be. Let he without sin cast the first stone!
On 9/22/08 at 6:37 AM,
CountyGirl wrote:
Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden
This is a comment from a FORMER patient of so called Dr. When I first saw her I specifically asked "Why Maine" It seemed strange that a Dr. would come to this area but she seemed nice. Now I know that NICE doesn't cut it. She messed up on my surgery and I had to have a REAL Dr. redo the surgery 6 months later. When I tried to take legal actions, I then found out just how hard it is to gain justice. I wanted my medical bills paid and have the incident reviewed so others did not have to go thru what I did. I was discourgaged by lawyers that, later identified themselfs as "retained by the hospital". Nice. She left the Presque Isle area only to relocate north. I hope that her background is looked into and she gets help but also that she is not allowed to practice. Her attempt to do surgical proceedure on me was botched, I was the only one that had to pay for this, finacially as well as emotionally. She even billed me for the surgery! When I didn't pay she sent it to a collection agency and then ruined my credit! Way to go! NOT. I hope she gets help and also gets out of the profession, that she is not capable of doing.
On 9/22/08 at 12:33 PM,
PamCorreale wrote:
Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden
I have mixed views regarding this subject. First of all, if an employee of Walmart steals a candy bar he/she is automatically terminated. Yet, a licensed doctor, who carries a huge burden of responsibility, can get away with probation after committing an obvious drug related crime. I can't comprehend how this was possible other than the fact that perhaps Aroostook county is lacking qualified doctors so much so that Dr. Michalowski was just transferred from Presque Isle to Fort Kent in an attempt to sweep her problems under the rug. I certainly wouldn't want to be one of the mothers who suffered with a newborn having cerebral palsy or some other preventable problem. ALthough such occurrances do happen with the best of doctors, how would such a mother NOT attempt to blame any and all medical conditions on Dr. Michalowski's drug addiction- whether it be the cause or not?
On the flip side, having many personal problems myself, I cannot help but feel a great deal of sympathy for Ellen Michalowski and especially her family. Although we are not friends, I have had the pleasure of meeting her when we took a trip together to Florida. (although I know her husband John much better). Both John and Ellen are very nice people. They appear to be ideal parents as well as they seem to have a marriage to envy. My heart goes out to them in this terrible time. It is going to be unbearable for them to remain citizens of such a small community where viscious gossip is more than rampant. My family and I pray that Ellen gets the help that she needs.
On 9/22/08 at 4:16 PM,
Lewellyn wrote:
Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden
I move from Fort Kent 54 year agoI live in NewYorkI am thinking of moving back to Me this is not what I want to read.
On 9/23/08 at 2:45 AM,
Johninphilippines wrote:
Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden
Apparently, this doctor is not "Dr. Quack-Quack". She is just a drug-addict. She absolutely broke the laws. The board seemed to be too lenient on her. I think she should be suspended completely for at least 16 months, and then if she decides to go back into the same type of medicine she was in previously, then she would have to re-examine for the board examination for the State of Maine. Drugs of any kind can cause judgemental problems.
On 9/23/08 at 2:46 AM,
Johninphilippines wrote:
Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden
...and "kris73"...we are not in heaven yet! The doctor has to face the fiddler here on earth first.
Post a comment about this story
You must be logged in to post a comment.
click here to log in.
