The Arizona Medical Association makes it difficult for patients to find out about doctor misconduct.|| Getty Images
Andrew Ford
Arizona Republic
Sex, drugs and harm to patients — the Arizona Medical Board determined more than 300 actively licensed doctors committed misconduct over the last decade, but their records were largely hidden from the public, an Arizona Republic investigation found.
The board identified doctor misdeeds that went far beyond bungled paperwork, yet the doctors received only a slap on the wrist in the form of strongly worded letters.
The board rebuked Dr. Nicholas J. Argyros for “removing insufficient skin during a circumcision” — he said the complaint to the board derived from another doctor’s actions, the incident happened long ago, and the amount of skin to remove in a circumcision is a judgment call.
“There’s not a dotted line where it says: cut here,” he said.
The board wrote up Dr. Ernesto R. Cruz for “soliciting an act of prostitution.” The board admonished Dr. Shilpa N. Atodaria, saying “that practicing medicine without a license will result in further Board action.” It reprimanded Dr. Sally T. Wareing for “failure to follow up following spontaneous miscarriage.” It scolded Dr. George H. Webb “for taking photographs of a patient’s vagina without gloves on a personal cell phone.”
Those doctors couldn’t be reached for comment.
