Personal Injury Law

Maryland Medical Malpractice?: Psychiatrist?s License Permanently Revoked for Alleged Inappropriate Contact with Boy Patients

By Jack Lebowitz, Esq. and Vadim Mzhen, Esq.

The Maryland Board of Physicians is permanently revoking Miguel Frontera?s license to practice in the state. The decision comes after the state board found that the psychiatrist engaged in inappropriate contact with about a dozen pre-teen boys in his care. Baltimore County police say that they are conducting a criminal investigation into the allegations.

The board had initially suspended Frontera?s license last year for alleged improper behavior when conducting physical exams on five boys, ages 10 ? 12, between 2000 and 2009. For example one boy, age 17, told a crisis interventionist at his high school that the psychiatrist molested him during several visits when he was 11 or 12. A police report was filed in 2006 over the incidents that allegedly took place in 2000 and 2001. In March 2009, the parent of a second boy filed a police report accusing Frontera of molesting the teenager during a physical exam when he was 10.

Both alleged victims had sought treatment from the psychiatrist for suspected attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. They claim that Frontera made them wear hospital gowns so he could look at their genitals. At the time the allegations were first made, police said that they were not considered to be at the criminal level.

However, Baltimore Police say that they reopened the investigation because of new information that they?ve received. Meantime, Frontera is maintaining that all of the allegations against him are false.

Psychiatric misconduct or his/her failure to provide a patient with a minimum standard level of care can be grounds for a Maryland psychiatric malpractice lawsuit. Examples of this type of medical malpractice:

? Wrong diagnosis
? Medication mistakes
? Breach of privacy
? False imprisonment
? Failure to provide the proper treatment
? Emotional abuse
? Mental abuse
? Sexual relationship with the patient
? Sex abuse

Towson psychiatrist loses license over improper contact with boys, The Baltimore Sun, May 18, 2010

Towson psychiatrist's license suspension upheld, Towson Times, November 20, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Maryland Board of Physicians

Psychiatric Malpractice: Basic Issues in Evolving Contexts, Psychiatric Times

Contact our Maryland medical malpractice law firm and ask for your free case evaluation.

Full post as published by Maryland Accident Law Blog on May 19, 2010 (boomark / email).