When you go to the doctor, you expect him or her to provide professional and appropriate care, but what happens when a doctor takes advantage of you? Unfortunately for some New York patients, a trip to the doctor will not result in a diagnosis or treatment, but rather end with a sexual assault. Anyone who has been sexually abused by a person of authority, like a physician, should contact the authorities and an attorney who can help explain what a victim’s legal rights are.
In this story, at least one patient reported an Albany physician to the New York state Board for Professional Medical Conduct for allegedly sexually assaulting her while she was his patient. The patient sought treatment from the physician for fibromyalgia and claims that for several weeks, the doctor would hug and kiss her when she came for appointments. According to the Albany Times Union, the doctor would also comment on her buttocks while they were alone.
What is particularly frightening about this story, however, is that the physician supposedly fondled her genitals as part of her fibromyalgia treatment. The doctor, however, denies that he ever inappropriately touched the woman, claiming that he merely used an electric stimulation glove on the woman’s pelvic bones.
After this and other claims of inappropriate medical care were unearthed by the Board, the doctor was presented with a consent agreement in which he admitted he failed to properly keep medical records. Although he again denied the sexual abuse allegations, the settlement mandated that there would be a chaperone present during any interactions with female patients. It is unclear what would happen to the physician were to violate the terms of his settlement agreement during his two-year probationary period.
Source: Albany Times Union, “Doctor denies allegations,” Cathleen F. Crowley, Nov. 29, 2011
