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CARTHAGE---A Carthage psychiatrist, originally charged with 25 specifications of professional misconduct by the state Board for Professional Medical Misconduct has been placed on three years of probation and will be allowed to practice medicine only with close supervision.
A three year suspension of her medical license was stayed in exchange for her guilty plea and she has agreed to permanently limit her practice to a supervised setting such as a state-licensed facility.
According to the disciplinary report, Dr. Alison Lentz of 325 State St., Carthage, currently employed at the Carthage Area Hospital Veteran's Administration Clinic, admitted to negligence on more than one occasion, revealing personal information about a patient without consent and having been disciplined by the Maine State Board of Licensure in Medicine.
She had been staff psychiatrist at the Aristook Medical Center in Presque Isle, Maine, prior to becoming full time medical director of the Lewis County Community Mental Health Center in 2003. In 2003, the Maine State Board of License had ordered her to receive therapy at least once a month. She had allegedly responded "no" on her NYS application for licensure when asked if she had been disciplined in any other state.
OPMC said that while she was practicing in Maine, she was diagnosed with a condition that could impair her ability to treat patients.
It was also alleged by OPMC that while at the Lewis County facility in 2003, she had provide Zoloft for a patient without meeting with the patient, conducting any follow-up visit or making a written record of the treatment.
Lentz was first licensed to practice in New York in 1996 and provided psychiatric care at the Lewis County Community Mental Health Center in Lowville from June 2003 until she was dismissed in late 2003. She was employed by the county until April, 2004.
Walter Becker, CEO of Carthage Hospital said that "Carthage Area Hospital has had no clinical issues with any of our medical staff membership. Furthermore, we feel it is inappropriate to discuss issues which allegedly happened at another facility". PDF File
11-07-05
© 2005 North
Country Gazette
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