The Providence Journal (Rhode Island)

March 9, 2007 Friday
All Editions

Psychiatrist’s license suspended for lying to board

BYLINE: Felice J. Freyer, Journal Medical Writer

SECTION: NEWS; Pg. B-02

LENGTH: 570 words

Dr. Lorin Mimless prescribed narcotics for his wife, then misled state investigators about it.
The state has suspended the license of Dr. Lorin Mimless, a Providence psychiatrist who prescribed a narcotic to his wife and then led state investigators on a “wild goose chase” to cover up his actions.
Although the prescription to his wife was ethically questionable, the deception – which included repeatedly lying to the board and fabricating a medical record – was the main reason for the suspension, said Dr. Robert S. Crausman, chief administrative officer of the state Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline.
Maureen A. Hobson, the hearing officer in the proceedings against Mimless, issued the order pulling his license. “The standards established by the medical community,” Hobson wrote, “require foremost that individuals providing medical care to patients possess integrity and that they be beyond reproach in the honesty of their dealings. Clearly, [Mimless] has failed to maintain that standard.”
Mimless’ lawyer, David Carroll, pointed out that the psychiatrist’s actions did not harm any patient. “No one has ever questioned his care and treatment of a patient. He’s an excellent doctor,” Carroll said. “It’s true that he may not have been forthright in certain aspects with the board, but his apparent lapse in candor didn’t at all impact on patient care. It’s unfortunate that his patients will be deprived of his services.”
The suspension will remain in effect for at least a year. Mimless, 55, must undergo a competency evaluation, pay a $2,500 administrative fee, and after a year, apply to the board before he can have his license reinstated.
Mimless was convicted in 1997 of bilking the Massachusetts Medicaid program of at least $165,000 by billing for more than 24 hours of work a day and for working when he was actually on vacation. He was sentenced to prison and lost his Massachusetts and Rhode Island licenses as a result.
In 2004, Rhode Island’s medical board agreed to reinstate Mimless’ license. “They felt that he had paid his debt to society and they were going to give him a chance to practice again,” Crausman said. “In retrospect it was probably not a good decision.”
In 2005, a pharmacist told the medical board that Mimless had prescribed a highly concentrated narcotic and then came into the pharmacy to pick it up. The address on the prescription was the same as Mimless’ address.
When confronted with the pharmacist’s account, Mimless said he must have been mistaken for someone else and could not explain why his address appeared on the prescription. He mentioned that he lived in a large apartment building and speculated that the patient might live in the same building. Mimless also gave the board a medical record for the patient, saying that he did not know her before she appeared in his office.
After a yearlong investigation that involved handwriting analysis and conversations with immigration officials, state officials determined that the patient was Mimless’ wife, Eniko, a legal immigrant from Hungary. Her maiden name appeared in the medical record, even though she used her married name in other medical encounters.
The American Medical Association’s ethics guidelines prohibit a doctor from prescribing medication to relatives except in emergencies, and Hobson ruled that the Mimless’ care of his wife violated accepted practice in psychiatry.