A Bangor doctor and a Skowhegan physician assistant have both lost their medical licenses in separate cases involving inappropriate relationships with clients.
James Iannazzi, a neurologist who practices in Bangor, admitted having a “personal intimate relationship” with a patient, according to a Thursday press release issued by the Maine Board of Licensure in Medicine. The patient told the board that there was a physical relationship between the two, including one instance in the office that was billed to an insurance company as medical services.
Iannazzi’s medical license was suspended and he also accepted a reprimand, a fine and probation for five years once he resumes practice.
In an unrelated case, the board received a complaint that Neil C. Robertson, a physician assistant who practiced in Skowhegan, had a personal and sexual relationship with a patient for many years. Robertson admitted to the relationship and also said he gave the patient money and smoked marijuana with her, according to the release.
A second complaint against Robertson alleged that a patient fell in his office and he failed to assist her immediately and also prevented the patient’s daughter from assisting her. Robertson told the board that he politely but strongly urged the patient to get up under her own power.
Robertson acknowledged a significant error in the medical record regarding the incident, the release states.
After an initial review by the medical licensing board, Robertson voluntarily ceased practice on June 15. He also agreed to give up his physician assistant license.
Iannazzi and Robertson’s cases mark the second and third in the last two weeks involving Maine medical practitioners being disciplined over inappropriate relationships with patients. On Aug. 31, former Bangor psychologist John A. Keefe pleaded guilty to engaging in sex acts with a client in his office and billing the sessions to MaineCare.
Inappropriate relationships. Ok. When are they gonna start going after the real bad doctors…you know, the ones that prescribe pills like they are M&Ms. Those are the ones that need to be taken down.
Well when the clientele are mental health patients, yeah, I’d say that compares on the “who needs to be taken down” scale
You might have missed this article “Board: Bangor doctor improperly prescribed pain drugs” which was on the front page yesterday afternoon of the BDNs online edition. It is now on the Bangor page.
http://bangor-launch.newspackstaging.com/2012/09/13/health/board-bangor-doctor-improperly-prescribed-pain-drugs/
He didn’t miss it. He commented on THAT article that he had just made this comment on this one. He just didn’t come back and comment again on here.
Well I didn’t SEE it. I was TRYING to be helpful.
I was just informing you. Also trying to be helpful…
Fair enough.
I would class these two with the really bad doctors. They exploited their professional relationships with clients, which is an ethical violation as well as a legal violation of professional standards. And when someone can do this and also try bill the state for it, that takes some real brass. I am glad they got caught. They got what they deserved in my humble opinion.
If these medical “professionals” took advantage of a position of trust for sexual gratification, that is heinous.
No different than clergy who abuse their position of trust and abuse adult parishioners. It’s all abuse of power. Nothing less. Nothing more.
Well said, HowdyNeighbor. Exploiting the professional role in this capacity is indeed heinous and should result in criminal charges of sexual assault. JeffCol – while I my agree that meds are over prescribed and that the issue needs to be addressed…your comment seems to detract from the seriousness of these crimes.
I met Doctor Iannazzi.. I worked with him when he started at Acadia Hospital in Bangor ..very nice man and believe he was a married man at the time and new to the area. I hope things go better for him and wish him well, its a very tough sentence he recieved after all the expense and time being schooled now what? And all for what? Sounds like a scorned woman seduced and told….but there are some ethical boundries in place and I suppose for good reason …..but let’s say u met a patient and was attracted and then u seen her out at the seadog and u asked her to dance and intoned fell in love and married her …its still a violation..which never made sense to me ..but then again she is still ur patient at times..so? I guess I have to agree with the medical board
If something happens the way you described in your hypothetical scenario, then the ETHICAL thing for him to do would be to immediately refer her to a different doctor.
We don’t know how it happened though, he may very well have propositioned her in the office.
Correct we do not know how it happened, one could assume it started in the office and testimony said it atleast happened in the office once. Your correct he should have and could have refereed the patient to another doctor if there was an attraction. What a shame and waste of schooling
Nice guy? Sounds like he cheated on his wife! Not only that but took advantage of a woman seeking treatment at Acadia Hospital! Get a better understanding of what nice guys are!
Acadia Hospital Dr. nuff said
Thank you for your advice ..maybe you could go into business for yourself and train people how to read others on how to judge if someone they met and seemed like a nice guy. it could end all the bad that happens to others in the world if we all had your skills of being a genius of character when you meet someone
I’m only stating some of the facts here! You said he was a nice guy, right? You also stated he has a wife, right? He also admitted to having a relationship
with someone other than his wife, right?
That would be considered cheating, right? He was in a position of power
being a medical professional, right? He
took an oath as a doctor stating he wouldn’t have this type of relationship
with patients, right? I’m sorry, how am I
the one causing bad in the world or being a bad judge of character? Maybe he saves kittens from trees and walks
old ladies across the street, but that doesn’t change the fact that he cheated
on his wife, broke oaths he swore to keep both medically and his wedding vows.
I never stated he was still married. I stated when I met him he was. And I’m sorry again I thought he was a nice guy when I met him and I’m not an expert like u on first impressions. I mean he simply was a doctor in a white coat, new to the area, clean shaven, well dressed, well speaking, very polite educated man. I surely should have known like you would have known that he was capable of this! I feel so silly!
You did say get a better understanding to what nice guys are didn’t you? Ok again I had a first impression of an educated respectable speaking doctor how silly I couldn’t read into his future or instantly decide he wasn’t a nice guy like you obviously can lol
So it was a misunderstanding? You said “..very nice man” I’m sure lots of people get undeserved first
impressions of being nice. Facts have
changed a bit now and you can form a new opinion! My first impressions of this guy are the ones
listed out in my last comment and that’s why I’ve got the opinion I do, it
doesn’t take an expert to come to that conclusion.
Well, it is not my place to judge anyone, by the sounds he was judged and convicted by the right people. I will add tho, that he did make a huge mistake. and one that will always tarnish his name within the medical field and beyond, (sadly) but I am not iwlling to change my initial opinion that “when” I met him he was a very nice man. Now he is a man that made a very big mistake who is now paying for it and my hopes is he has found his way back on the right path and recovers from this mistake. I have made mistakes in life and would hope that I could be forgiven if I make another.
There are some things unforgivable such as rape or touch of a child. I am assuming this was consensual even tho it could be looked at as he had some power or influence with his patient, there is nothing to tell any of us she was unwilling to have a physical relationship, but that said there are REASONS this is not ok to do, one of which a sense of submissivness to ones care provider or vulnerability so this is a fine line to over powering someones rational thinking.
The Doctor made a mistake and was wrong for that he paid a huge price now I hope he can heal and rebuild.
what part of conflict of interest does not sink in??? if they meet at bar then I would change doctors or he should say I can’t treat you anymore here is a colleague who is in the same field that I recommend?
Doctor, my eyes, tell me what you see
I hear their cries, just say if it’s too late for me
What has happened to the Hippocratic Oath do doctor’s even have to recite this when they are licensed? Does it even exist anymore? Maybe it doesn’t address being a medical predator or conflict of interest at the very least.
Does Charlie Sheen have a conflict of interest.
Are you referring to his show, Anger Management, where his character is sleeping with his therapist? Because if you are, then yes, that is considered a conflict of interest according to professional standards in the field. Though it is a fictional one, since it is not a portrayal of actual events, at least as far as I know since I know nothing about his personal life.
It’s about time the oversight boards start taking their duties seriously. Once upon a time, they wouldn’t suspend a license for anything and if the license is not at risk, some professionals are not going to behave ethically.
I tried to file a board complaint on my father’s doc down in Florida for making a life threatening prescription. I googled the guy and found all kinds of things in the news, then I searched his license and everything that had been in the paper had never come against his license. When I tried to file the complaint, the rules to do so were so strict, it was not possible for me to do.