Campaign fraud – doctor returns to practice

In 2005 James Polk, a psychologist, was convicted of felony election fraud in Virginia Beach. An online encyclopedia entry, which admits its liberal slant, documents an article stating that Polk committed ten counts of election fraud as the state campaigner for Ralph Nader. As a result Polk’s license was suspended.

Polk was a psychologist with the 1st Medical Group at Langley Air Force Hospital in the early 90s. During that time his privileges were restricted to require one year of supervision, the order said, for not properly documenting patient records.

In 1996 Polk ran for school board and his irregularities in the Air Force came under question. According to an article in the Virginian-Pilot:

“They said that they couldn’t understand my notes well enough for somebody else to come in and pick up where I left off,” Polk said when questioned about the investigation.

But he admitted in subsequent interviews that the investigation involved more than inadequate notes.

Polk said the issue involved, in part, the number of patients attending weight-loss sessions that he conducted at Langley.”

Other discrepancies became evident in Polks’ teaching background, according to the news article, when school officials couldn’t back up Polk’s record:

“A curriculum vitae, which Polk gave to a reporter who met with him in February, stated that he holds adjunct professorships at the College of William and Mary and California’s Fielding Institute.

A spokesperson in William and Mary’s psychology department said Polk was affiliated with the school during the 1992-93 school year, primarily as a supervisor of practicum students, but he was no longer an adjunct professor there.

When questioned about listing the William and Mary professorship as a current position, Polk indicated that he had only recently become aware that the appointment had expired.

“I found out that the adjunct professorship expired at the end of last year,” Polk said. “I thought it was still in place.”

The facts concerning the Fielding Institute are more complicated.

Ronald Giannitti, the school’s dean of psychology, said Polk was never hired by that school. “We did talk with him about the possibility of doing some training for us in the (Hampton Roads) area,” Giannitti said, “but we never contracted with him. That program is on hold.”

Polk, however, said a contract was negotiated. “I know I signed paperwork with them,” Polk insisted when asked about the discrepancy.

In August, Polk was released from probation with an unrestricted license. He complied with all terms in the order filed in 2006.

Farifax doctor entered psychotherapy

Michael Hryvniak, a doctor from Fairfax, performed a psychiatric evaluation of a patient in April ‘05 who had “multi-faceted and complex psychiatric issues,” according to a consent order filed in May. The order was not available on the database and was sent to me via snail mail. In July, Hryvniak began psychotherapy treatment on the patient and subsequently began a personal and sexual relationship with this patient for about two months that same year (May to July.)

Hryvniak ended the relationship and took a voluntary leave of absence  in August ‘06 as a result of the relationship. Hryvniak checked himself in to a treatment center in Kansas and underwent some major individual psychotherapy and medication management. It is not clear in the order what exactly was wrong with Hyrvniak.

These days, the doctor is attending AA meetings 3-4 times a week. He voluntarily stopped practicing in August during his leave of absence and hopes to practice again with the board’s go ahead.

Hryvniak was apologetic to the board and his profession, the order says.

So, the board has put this guy on indefinite probation.  If he wants to practice again he must win approval from the Executive Director of the Board of Medicine and have a “practice monitor” with whom he meets and discusses cases. Hryvniak must continue undergoing therapy and attend AA meetings. He also has to take some continuing education classes. Hryvniak will be reassessed in 18 months.

Board: “Write me a paper.”

Eric Kothari pulled a no-no. Kothari was issued a license in August of 2006 to practice psychology in Virginia. But in late July of that year, he performed an evaluation of a child who had been sexually abused. Kothari signed the evaluation report as “psychologist,” when in fact he had not been licensed and had never performed a sexual abuse evaluation.

Kothari was placed on probation for a minimum of a year and is under supervision.

But the best part of the punishment is that within one year Kothari has to write three publication quality papers, bibliography and all. His three topics are, “Family Dynamics in Divorce Proceedings, Custody and Visitation,”Models of Custody and Visitation Evaluations,” “Best Practices in Sexual Abuse Evaluations.”

No monetary penalty was assessed. Kothari has to meet with his supervisor two times a month during the probation period.

A Google search shows that Kothari is a professor of psychology at American University in Washington D.C. Being a professor at a major University involves ongoing research and paper publication. Kothari is on the list to teach this spring. Kothari also has a profile on Psychology Today. His profile says he has been in the practice for four years, but he only graduated from the American School of Professional Psychology in 2004. The license number on the profile matches the one in the database.

James Stewart sleeps with patients and uses cocaine

James Stewart, from Staunton, has had his license revoked by the Virginia Board of Psychologists.

From 1994 to 2004, Stewart slept in the same bed as a patient and borrowed her car, documents said.

After ten years of weekly sessions to another patient, Stewart moved into that patient’s house, rent-free, from the summer of 2002 to August 2003. He also used the patient’s credit card and borrowed money.

Stewart abused cocaine and alcohol by his own admission to both staff at Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville and to a patient.