The Iowa Board of Medicine released a remarkable file on Thursday detailing its settlement agreement with Dr. Fredric Sager, an obstetrician/gynecologist based in Clive. You can read the full document here (pdf). After the jump I’ve enclosed the first five pages, which cover the charges of “unethical or unprofessional conduct” and “disruptive behavior,” as well as the main terms of the settlement. Reading what Sager did with some of his patients, including staying with them at his vacation home in Florida, it’s mind-boggling that his license to practice medicine was not revoked or at least suspended. Instead, he will pay a fine of $7,500 (a token amount for a well-compensated doctor in Iowa), undergo some counseling on “professional boundaries,” transfer certain patients out of his care, and be forced to have a “female healthcare professional chaperone” present when treating female patients in the future.
Multiple acquaintances who work with vulnerable populations in Polk County have told me that Sager treated many patients without a strong support system, such as pregnant teens, homeless youth, and young single women. In fact, one person had heard a teen in Sager’s care talk about possibly going to Florida with him, but brushed it off as delusional thinking. It makes me sick that the Iowa Board of Medicine is allowing him to continue to practice medicine as an OB/GYN–even with a chaperone–after establishing his pattern of predatory and inappropriate behavior with patients.
In contrast, the state Board of Medicine rushed through without adequate public input a rule banning the use of “telemedicine” for medical abortions at Planned Parenthood clinics around Iowa. Board members moved to ban that procedure despite studies demonstrating the safety of telemedicine abortions. Advocates were not able to cite any evidence of adverse outcomes among more than 5,000 Iowa women who had used the teleconferencing system to receive abortifacients. Planned Parenthood’s lawsuit challenging the state rule is pending before the Iowa Supreme Court.
Governor Terry Branstad appointed all ten current members of the Iowa Board of Medicine. Six are physicians, and four are members of the public.
2 Comments
HF 218 is interesting
Doesn’t directly address PP rules, but notice that it (in part) directs DHS to adopt telemedicine rules for Medicaid that don’t require in-person contact as a prerequisite for payment. (of course, due to a previous legislative deal, the governor has to approve Medicaid funding for abortions, so it’s not likely to be an issue for the foreseeable future, assuming the bill advances). Still an interesting pro-telemedicine bill, written by a Republican.
x Tue 17 Feb 8:43 AM
the U of I Hospitals and Clinics
stopped attempting to bill the state for abortions, so the bill you are talking about would not affect Medicaid reimbursement for abortions anyway.
Rural lawmakers would be foolish not to embrace telemedicine. It’s harder to attract doctors to small-town clinics and hospitals.
desmoinesdem Sun 22 Feb 3:57 PM