Connecticut-once again ranks in the bottom ten.

Registered sex offender is back in business

Each year Public Citizen analyzes didciplinary  actions taken against physicians by state regulators.  And once again, we fall short here in Connecticut.   A recent reinstatement of the  license of a registered sex offender, should be a wake - up call to the Governor, to the legislature and to the Medical Examining Board itself. 

Investigative journalist, Lisa Checdekel from www.c-hit.org, looked into the reinstatement of Dr. Berken's license - he had surrendered his medical privileges at Greenwich Hospital and left his private pactice following his arrest in New York in 2008 on charges serious enough to require him to register as a sex offender in New York and  Connecticut.  While he will be practicing with some restrictions, I simply do not understand how anyone can rationalize his dealing with patients - even if they are over 18.  He should be able to do research or work for an insurance company, but not with patients. 

The irony is that the Department of Public Health introduced a bill intended to make it easier for Connecticut to sanction physicians whose licenses are revoked or suspended by other states. 

With complete disregard for the intent of the legislation, the Medical Examining Board wrote "although respondent's emotional disorders and mental illness are currently controlled with medication and intensive group and individual therapy, respondent's current emotional disorders and mental illness may continue to affect his ability to practice medicine."

Yet Dr. Berken's license, with restrictions, has been reinstated and Connecticut holds it's poor ranking.