Saint Paul Pioneer Press (Minnesota)

July 31, 1995 Monday METRO FINAL EDITION

BOARD OF MEDICAL PRACTICE ISSUES DISCIPLINE MEASURES FOR PHYSICIANS

BYLINE: BYLINE: Tom Majeski, Staff Writer

SECTION: METRO; Pg. 3B

LENGTH: 902 words

A St. Paul psychiatrist accused of abusing a young man from South St. Paul has been ordered by the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice not to have any contact with juvenile patients.
Dr. Richard G. Lunzer, 67, was charged in May in Dakota County District Court with three felony counts of criminal sexual conduct in the fourth degree. Lunzer practices in both downtown St. Paul and in West St. Paul.
According to court records, the alleged victim, a 21-year-old South St. Paul man, was 14 years old when he was first sent to Lunzer for therapy after his parents’ divorce. Lunzer denies any wrongdoing.
Under an agreement with the board, Lunzer may not treat or contact any juvenile patients, patients whom he treated as juveniles or former patients he treated as juveniles, except when otherwise permitted by court order. He also must report to the board the outcome of the criminal charges within 48 hours after they are settled.
If Lunzer fails to comply with any of the restrictions, his medical license will be suspended immediately.
In other disciplinary action, the board obtained a voluntary license suspension from one doctor, restricted the medical licenses of four others, amended an earlier action against another doctor and restricted the licenses of two out-of-state doctors who have licenses to practice in Minnesota.
Dr. Kenneth J. Ryan, 41, of Alexandria voluntarily agreed to surrender his medical license for an indefinite period because of his long history of chemical dependency.
Ryan was first disciplined by the board in 1990 for chemical abuse. Restrictions placed on his license at that time were lifted in March 1993.
Ryan told the board he experienced an alcohol relapse in October 1993, when he wasn’t practicing medicine, and a drug relapse in February 1994.
Under the board’s order, Ryan can petition for reinstatement of his medical license if he proves he can “practice medicine and surgery with reasonable skill and safety to patients as determined by the board.”
Among the other physicians whose medical licenses were restricted:
Dr. Bryant R. Beehler, 43, of Anoka, who was disciplined for unprofessional conduct in connection with inappropriately administering intravenous fluids to two patients on an outpatient basis.
The board ordered Beehler to meet monthly with a supervising physician to review his patient records. He also was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine.
Dr. William J. Hammes, 47, of Jordan, was disciplined for unprofessional and unethical conduct involving his addiction to codeine medications, antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs.
Hammes was ordered to abstain from alcohol and all mood-altering chemicals, undergo at least 12 randomly timed blood and urine tests per quarter, attend self-help meetings and obtain therapy from a pre-approved therapist.
Dr. Dhanalal Krishnanaik, 55, of Warren, Minn., was disciplined for unprofessional and unethical conduct and the improper management of medical records.
Krishnanaik operated on a female patient without conducting proper diagnostic tests, failed to follow the proper surgical technique and neglected to give her antibiotics at the proper time.
Among other things, the board ordered Krishnanaik to complete a home study course offered by the American College of Surgeons and fined him $1,000.
Dr. Alexander R. Watts, 60, of St. Cloud, was disciplined for unprofessional and unethical conduct, inability to practice medicine by reason of illness, improper management of medical records and failure to make required reports.
The board said that Watts, a neurosurgeon, followed improper procedures when he treated 18 patients for various brain and spinal cord conditions.
One patient had mild tingling in his extremities after fracturing his spine in a fall. Within hours after Watts operated on him, he became a quadriplegic, the board said. In two other cases, Watts declared patients brain-dead without performing necessary tests, the board said.
Watts was ordered to undergo a professional assessment program for physicians and follow up with recommended remedial education.
Acting on the recommendation of a supervising physician, the board amended a 1994 restriction on the medical license of Dr. Roger A. Johnson, 55, of St. Paul.
Under the new order, Johnson can not practice in a solo office setting but must restrict his practice to a single mental health clinic setting. He also must limit his practice to short-term therapy, crisis intervention, diagnosis and psychiatric medication management that does not involve the use of any controlled substances. He also must be supervised by a pre-approved physician who also is a psychiatrist.
The board also restricted the licenses of two California physicians, Dr. Clarence A. Anderson, 58, of Redlands, and Dr. Arne L. Klepp, 64, of Encino.
According to the board, Anderson was disciplined by California officials for engaging in sexual misconduct with a female patient and inappropriately providing her with tranquilizers, antidepressants, sleeping pills and antacids from 1982 to 1988.
California officials placed Klepp on probation for five years and required him to take several educational courses, pass an oral competency exam in family practice and pay a $5,000 fine. During his probation, he also was prohibited from using chelation therapy other than in specified treatments.