A Tennessee doctor has retired her
medical license after it was discovered that she borrowed a hefty
loan from a longtime patient, then diagnosed the woman with dementia
when she asked for her money back, according to state
discipline records.
But the doctor
now insists she was “set up” by a vindictive patient, and said she only
agreed to retire after state attorneys presented her with an unwinnable
legal case.
“It was all lies and I was told that if
I fought it would be extremely costly to me,” said Dr. Suellen Lee on
Tuesday. “And there would still be no benefit. There was no chance of
reversal.”
Lee, 79, an internal medicine specialist
in Columbia, retired her license last month in a peculiar case before
the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners, which is responsible for
disciplining doctors throughout the state. Government attorneys said Lee
borrowed $300,000 from a patient when her medical clinic fell on hard
times, and when the patient later requested repayment, Lee diagnosed her
with dementia in an apparent effort to escape the debt.
The
patient — identified in records only as E.W. — had been treated by Lee
for 25 years and was also a personal friend and a co-worker. State
records say that Lee sent a letter about E.W.'s diagnosis to the
patient’s daughter, who in turn forwarded the letter to the patient’s
financial company, which resulted in her being denied access to her
assets.
When
Lee was questioned by investigators, she admitted that she diagnosed
E.W. purely “on observation,” without the use of any testing method or a
second opinion from a mental health professional, according to state
records.
A psychologist later assessed E.W., finding “no indication of dementia,” the records say.
During
a phone interview with the Tennessean on Tuesday, Lee said the state
of twisted the facts of her case to make it appear as if she was
scheming to escape the loan. Lee said she borrowed the money from the
patient approximately 20 years ago and has been dutifully repaying the
debt in installments.
Lee also stood by the
dementia diagnosis, which occurred about two years ago, saying E.W.
exhibited erratic behavior and signs of memory loss. Lee insisted her
former patient later misled the psychologist so the dementia diagnosis
would not be confirmed.
“She wanted to hurt me because she was so angry with me, because I had said that she was demented,” Lee said.
Although
Lee now disputes some aspects of the case against her, she conceded to
these facts while negotiating an agreement with the Tennessee Department
of Health and the Board of Medical Examiners during a meeting last
month. Lee ultimately signed a consent order, voluntarily retiring her
license and agreeing to pay a $2,000 fine.
Full Article & Source:
Tennessee doctor borrowed $300K from a patient, then diagnosed her with dementia
