California medical board placed psychiatrist Richard A. Hochberg on probation

n March 1, 2011, the Medical Board of California placed psychiatrist Richard A. Hochberg on probation for three years with terms and conditions.

This action was the result of a complaint filed by the Board against Hochberg, alleging gross negligence in the treatment of five patients, for which he failed to justify/explain his reasoning behind changing his initial diagnoses of paranoid schizophrenia to schizoaffective disorder; the use the same drugs on all patients in a general manner, without specific indications; failure to differentiate or specifically tailor treatment to the patient; prescribed a off-label (for “memory loss”) a drug specifically meant for treating Alzheimer’s or dementia with Parkinson’s disease—without a differential diagnosis, exploration or explanation; prescribed atypical antipsychotics without proper documentation or justification; failure to monitor the side effects of the drugs by not carrying out appropriate blood work; incomplete and redundant, “boilerplate” documentation patient to patient.

Further, Hochberg was disciplined by the Board in 2005 for similar failures, including diagnosing four patients—all in their mid-40s to early-50s—with Alzheimer’s disease and prescribing them the same drug—all cited by the Board as an “extreme departure from the standard of care.”

Source: Stipulated Settlement and Disciplinary Order in the Matter of the Accusation Against Richard A. Hochberg, M.D., Case Nos. 06-2005-129383, 06-2007-188425 & 06-2008-190448, OAH Nos. 2009120137 and L-2004060531, Medical Board of California.

State puts psychologist Laura Jean Petracek on probation for false billings

On August 23, 2010, the California Board of Psychology placed psychologist Laura Jean Petracek’s license on probation with terms and conditions.

The Board’s document states that in March 2006, Petracek was contracted as a member of the provider network of the Alameda County Behavioral Health Plan (ACBHP) of Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services (ACBHCS) to provide services to their clients.

In October 2006, an auditor from ACBHP/ACBHCS visited Petracek’s office and requested she make all of her charts available but she did not comply.  Later that month she produced her complete charts.

In January 2007, the ACBHCS sent Petracek written notice of its intent to revoke her privileges with the provider network.  In March 2007, the Board received a Health Facility Reporting Form from ACBHP/ACBHCS in which it was reported that Petracek’s membership in their network was terminated or revoked March 13, 2007 due to non-compliance, as evidenced by their audit finding.

The ACBHP/ACBHCS audit of Petracek’s claims over a five-month period between April 14, 2006 and September 14, 2007 revealed that she’d billed for clinical services for seven clients that were not actually provided.

It was also found that during that period, Petracek had created false records of therapy sessions for five clients that were not provided, among other things.

Source: Stipulated Settlement and Disciplinary Order in the Matter of the Accusation Against Laura Jean Petracek, Ph.D., Psychologist License No. PSY 20033, Case No. 1F 2007 185290, OAH No. 2010 060910, California Board of Psychology.

Former counselor-therapist William Jefferson denied request for review/rehearing on license revocation

On May 7, 2010, the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners issued an Order of Denial of Review or Rehearing Request on professional counselor-marriage and family therapist William Jefferson.

The Board revoked Jefferson’s licenses/certificates in February 2010 due to his criminal history and history of being involuntarily terminated by his employer.  Jefferson is reported to have answered “no” on subsequent license renewal applications to questions about arrests/charges and involuntary terminations.  Specifically, the Board’s document states that Jefferson was arrested in July 1995 for the crime of resisting arrest and was charged with the same crime in March 1997.

In 2003 and 2005, Jefferson answered “no” on multiple renewal application background questions regard arrests and charges.

Jefferson was terminated from employment at an agency he’d worked at for 12 years for inability to comply with the agency’s policies and procedures and to perform at the expected level of professionalism.

He was also terminated in October 2002 from another agency he’d worked at concurrently for sexual harassment and was similarly terminated in December 2008 from yet another agency, also for sexual harassment.

During the Board’s investigation, Williams minimized and misrepresented his employment terminations.

Source: Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners Adverse Action Tracking Form 2010, dated 21 September 2010.

 

Negligent custody evaluation costs mental health counselor her license

On May 7, 2010, the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners revoked the license of professional counselor Linda Bennardo for the following reasons, as found in the Board’s report:

• Bennardo treated a mother and her daughters for six months in 2008 and saw the mother’s son twice during that time.  She recommended limiting the father’s access to the son based solely on information provided by the mother and daughters.

• In another case, Bennardo concluded that a three-year girl was highly traumatized by her visitation with her father—without having gathered any information on the matter from the father, parenting coordinator, best interest attorney or other entities.

The Board’s report also states that Bennardo failed to obtain informed consent for the aforementioned son and that informed consent for the aforementioned mother and daughters was incomplete, among other things.

Source: Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners Adverse Action Tracking Form 2010, dated 21 September 2010.

State revokes counselor Russell Bentley’s license for boundary violations with teen client

On June 4, 2010, the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners reported that it revoked counselor Russell Bentley’s license.

The Board’s report states that Bentley’s employers (for whom he worked from August 2002 to August 2009) allowed him to resign in lieu of termination after investigating a complaint from the mother of a 16-year-old client whom Bentley treated for about a year and a half.

The client was described as vulnerable, with a father in prison and an alcoholic mother.  Bentley made non-therapeutic visits to the client; had dinner with the client and his mother in mother’s home on several occasions and stayed very late at their home on several occasions.  None of these activities were documented in the client’s file.

Bentley engaged in non-therapeutic activities with the client, including watching television and going out for food and coffee.  On one occasion, the mother alleged that she woke up late at night and found Bentley and her son watching TV, the son with his head in Bentley’s lap, Bentley stroking his head.

Bentley admitted massaging the boy’s shoulders and buying him pants and a shirt.

Source: Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners Adverse Action Tracking Form 2010, dated 21 September 2010.