OSTEOPATH SURRENDERS LICENSE, AVOIDS HEARING.Byline: Josh Kleinbaum Staff Writer An osteopathic physician osteopathic physician n. An osteopath. osteopathic physician, n an individual who is fully licensed to practice medicine who is trained in the principles and techniques of osteopathic philosophy. convicted more than three years ago of sexually exploiting two patients has surrendered his medical license, one week before a scheduled disciplinary hearing. On Tuesday, California's Osteopathic os·te·op·a·thy n. A system of medicine based on the theory that disturbances in the musculoskeletal system affect other bodily parts, causing many disorders that can be corrected by various manipulative techniques in conjunction with conventional Medical Board accepted the tendered license of Laurence Reich, a gynecologist gynecologist /gy·ne·col·o·gist/ (-kol´ah-jist) a person skilled in gynecology. gy·ne·col·o·gist n. A physician specializing in gynecology. who has practiced at clinics in Panorama City and Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. . Reich will be allowed to practice until April 14, giving him time to close or sell his practice, officials said. ``It's over, finally,'' said Shea Elder, one of Reich's two victims. ``I'm excited to have this over.'' In turning over his license, Reich admitted that he had pleaded no contest ``to a criminal offense substantially related to the qualifications, functions or duties of an osteopathic physician and surgeon,'' according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. court documents. Allegations of misconduct initially surfaced in 2000, and the state Attorney General's Office subsequently charged Reich with gross negligence An indifference to, and a blatant violation of, a legal duty with respect to the rights of others. Gross negligence is a conscious and voluntary disregard of the need to use reasonable care, which is likely to cause foreseeable grave injury or harm to persons, property, or and sexual misconduct sexual misconduct Professional ethics Any behavior that violates a health professional's ethics through sexual contact of physician and his/her Pt. See Professional boundaries. . Reich pleaded no contest to one count of sexual exploitation of patients in December 2002. His no-contest plea was part of an agreement designed to speed up the discipline process by the state board, officials said. He was sentenced to one day in jail and one year's probation. He was not fined because he had filed for bankruptcy in 2000 and had no personal assets, officials said. But scheduling backlogs and rejected plea bargains delayed the state's discipline process for years. In October, the Daily News reported the delays and systematic problems with the state's discipline procedures that led to the delays. In mid-December, Sen. Barbara Boxer Barbara Levy Boxer (born November 11, 1940) is an American politician and the current junior U.S. Senator from the State of California. A member of the Democratic Party, Boxer was first elected to the U.S. , D-Calif., sent a letter to the Osteopathic Board urging that Reich's license immediately be suspended pending the outcome of his disciplinary hearing. ``If I had anything to do with this outcome, I am very pleased,'' Boxer wrote in an e-mail. ``It is long overdue.'' Elder said she believes that media attention and pressure from Boxer spurred Reich to give up his license. Disciplinary hearings had been scheduled twice before, and both had been delayed because of proposed settlements. Both settlements were rejected by the state board because they were too lenient, officials said. Reich and his attorney, Mark Levin, did not return phone calls. Josh Kleinbaum, (818) 713-3669 josh.kleinbaum(at)dailynews.com |
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