(C) Iowa Capital Dispatch
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Citing ‘incompetence,’ board issues emergency suspension of doctor’s license [1]
['Clark Kauffman', 'More From Author', '- March']
Date: 2023-03-27
The Iowa Board of Medicine has issued an emergency order suspending the practice of an eastern Iowa dermatologist accused of incompetence and practicing in an unsafe manner.
The immediate and indefinite suspension of Dr. Ravindra Kumar Gangadhariah’s ability to practice medicine “is necessary to protect the public health, safety or welfare until this case is finally resolved,” the board has alleged.
In December, the board charged Gangadhariah of Davenport with practicing in a manner that was harmful or detrimental to the public due to his alleged failure to possess and exercise a level of skill that’s expected of physicians. The board also charged Gangadhariah with improper management of medical records.
In its public statement of charges, the board alleged that at some unspecified time in the past, Gangadhariah had returned an “unused” portion of lidocaine, a topical anesthetic, to a multi-dose vial. The board did not elaborate, although its settlement agreement with Gangadhariah suggests the doctor’s actions created a potential risk of patient infections.
With regard to Gangadhariah’s medical records, the board said it found “numerous instances where patients were billed for services rendered with incomplete or missing documentation.”
As part of a settlement agreement between Gangadhariah and the board, the doctor agreed to pay a $1,000 civil penalty and complete instructional courses on recordkeeping and on infection control related to the “use and storage of lidocaine.”
On March 8, the board conducted a telephone hearing and issued an emergency order indefinitely suspending Gangadhariah’s license. The alleged facts and circumstances that triggered the suspension have been redacted from public view pursuant to a 2021 Iowa Supreme Court order that restricts public access to all such information.
However, the available board records charge Gangadhariah with professional incompetency through a willful and repeated failure to conform to minimal standards in the practice of medicine. The board alleges that failure is tied to infection control, the use of unsterilized equipment, the administration of multiple doses of lidocaine, and the improper use of medical gloves.
Gangadhariah is also charged with practicing in a manner that is harmful or detrimental to the public and with violating a board order.
Gangadhariah “may not continue to practice medicine without posing an immediate danger to the public health, safety or welfare,” the board alleged in suspending his license. “It is not safe for (Gangadhariah) to continue to practice medicine until this matter is resolved.”
Gangadhariah did not immediately return a message seeking comment on Monday.
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