3 Tyler doctors disciplined by state medical board - KYTX CBS 19 Tyler Longview News Weather Sports

TYLER (TYLER MORNING TELEGRAPH) - Three Tyler doctors have been disciplined, including one who was sending inappropriate text messages to a patient he was treating and another who failed to monitor patients with narcotics resulting in one patient's death by overdose.

After a patient complained, Dr. Duane Lee Griffith of Tyler had sent the patient sexually explicit text messages and was using excessive amounts of narcotics to control the patient.

The Texas Medical Board found Griffith had exchanged "flirtatious texts," engaged in unprofessional behavior with sexual comments directed toward patient, failed to maintain adequate medical records concerning his discussion with the patient regarding the patient's pain and the possibility of a spinal cord stimulator.

The board did not find Griffith used narcotics to control the patient, but did order Griffith to enroll in and complete a course on maintaining proper boundaries and complete eight hours of continuing medical education on medical records keeping and the treatment of chronic pain.

Griffith was also fined $2,000 and must cooperate with the Texas Medical Board or face additional actions.

Dr. James F. Holleman, who practices pain management and addiction in his Fifth Street office, was reprimanded by the board after determining he failed to maintain adequate records documenting treatment plans of three patients, one of which was a recovering drug abuser, failed to document treatment plans, expectations or outcomes, non-therapeutically prescribed controlled substances without adequate objective medical rationale to support the prescriptions and failed to meet the standard of care in his treatment of chronic pain and failed to adhere to the guidelines set forth by the board for pain treatment.

The TMB stated in its findings that Holleman's "patient A," a known drug user, was arrested in 2009 for driving under the influence after an overdose and then died in 2010 of another overdose.

Holleman was found to have failed to consider other treatment options including surgery instead of the "excessively large quantities of controlled substances" he prescribed to "patient B."

The board also found Holleman's "patient C" was given large amounts of narcotics and other medications without Holleman considering possible drug interactions or the patient's limited relief of pain through the narcotics or possible addiction.

The board stated Holleman only conducted one imaging study over the course of nine years to determine the cause of patient C's pain.

Holleman was ordered to have another physician monitor his practice for eight monitoring cycles, must complete a medical record keeping and physician prescribing courses and pay a $2,000 administrative penalty within 60 days.

Dr. Willet Hickman, of Tyler, was found to have failed to properly evaluate and follow up on an abnormal chest X-ray, which led to the delay in the diagnosis of the patient's lung cancer. The patient died in 2011 after being diagnosed by another doctor in 2010.

The TMB found that though Hickman said he talked to patient about follow-ups, he did not document the discussions nor did he order a CT scan or additional chest X-rays.

Dr. Hickman agreed to attend additional medical records keeping courses and complete a conference entitled "Medical Oncology and Hematology 2012: Clinical and Scientific Approaches that Enhance Patient Outcomes."

In Henderson County, Jeanne Caillet was ordered to refrain from referring to herself as doctor or Dr. Jeanne Caillet and cease and desist any practice of medicine or acupuncture in Texas after it was learned she is not licensed.

The TMB's August meeting disciplined 53 additional doctors including, 22 orders based on quality of care violations, one revocation, seven voluntary surrenders/suspensions, eight orders based on unprofessional conduct, five orders based on impairment, five orders based on other states' action or peer review, four based on inadequate medical records, one based on a criminal conviction, one based on inadequate supervision and one rules violation.