Those who hope nurses can help straighten out the epidemic of poor medical care need to watch this case.
Texas Medical Board vs Dr. Rolando Arafiles
Case # 503-10-4941.MD
(At the time this post was written, the mediation hearing was announced at this url: http://www.soah.state.tx.us/Docket/SOAH.pdf. Updated daily, the announcement is no longer listed on this page. The url is included so that the reader can watch for future announcements.)
The hearing is scheduled for Dr. Rolando Arafiles, the Texas doctor who engineered criminal prosecutions of two nurses for reporting him to the Texas Medical Board. Prosecutions of nurses for reporting physicians to a state medical board for improper patient care appears to be unprecedented. According to the docket sheet and information from the Texas State Office of Administrative Hearings, the matter is scheduled for mediation on December 2, 2010, at 9 AM.
Docket
http://www.soah.state.tx.us/Docket/SOAH.pdf (See above re: updates to posts at this url.)
For more information on the SOAH including contact information for that agency, see
http://www.soah.state.tx.us/Docket/general.asp
The charges against Dr. Rolando Arafiles include the improper medical care that led the two Winkler County nurses to report Dr. Arafiles to the Texas Medical Board. The complaint also charges Arafiles with subsequent witness intimidation arising out of his conduct after those reports were filed. After the Texas Medical Board was notified of the improper medical care, Dr. Arafiles persuaded the Sheriff to investigate the reports to the Texas Medical Board. As a result of the Sheriff's investigation, two nurses, Anne Mitchell and Vicki Galle, were charged with ten year felonies for misusing medical information, and their employment at Winkler County Memorial Hospital was terminated. Charges against Galle were dropped shortly before trial. Nurse Mitchell was acquitted. According to conversations with friends in Texas, the nurses remain unemployed.
These prosecutions garnered national attention. One prominent publication included this incident in the top ten stories about healthcare for the year.
This blog has covered the prosecution of the nurses at length in these prior pieces: 1 2 3 4 .
This week, keep your eyes on Texas. Here is your guide to keeping informed.
Formal Complaint against Dr. Arafiles
http://reg.tmb.state.tx.us/TMBPublicWebSite/WEBDOCS/e00/00/99/000099A5.pdf and
http://www.casewatch.org/board/med/arafiles/complaint_2010.shtml.
