The State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL)
Professional Regulation to target Mitrione for hearing
By Tony Cappasso
September 28, 2001

Now that federal prosecutors are done with Dr. Robert Mitrione, the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation has the Springfield psychiatrist in its sights.

Professional Regulation announced Thursday that Mitrione will be the subject of a preliminary hearing Dec. 17 on whether his medical license should be suspended or revoked. Mitrione was found guilty of health-care fraud, conspiracy, mail fraud and defrauding an agency of the United States government -specifically, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.

Mitrione said Thursday he wasn’t sure what he will do in response to DPR’s action.

“I just got the notice a couple of days ago, and right now, we’re just trying to evaluate options,” he said.

A federal jury convicted Mitrione and his wife, Marla DeVore, of the charges on Sept. 13. Professional Regulation filed the action against Mitrione’s license on Sept. 21, spokesman Tony Sanders said.

Sanders refused to speculate on the possible outcome of disciplinary hearings against Mitrione. However, the license of a physician convicted of a felony can be subject to a range of disciplinary actions that includes “actions from reprimand to revocation,” he said.

“The way the law reads is that a criminal conviction for a physician or any professional that we regulate is grounds for disciplining,” he said.

Sanders said that holds true even if the convictions are in another jurisdiction or if they have nothing to do with a doctor’s practice of medicine.

He said Professional Regulation did not act against Mitrione immediately on his arrest to avoid interfering with the case.

“Typically, when a doctor comes up for a criminal conviction, we hold off filing anything until the case is completed,” he said. “That’s to avoid endangering the state’s case against a physician.”