State suspends area psychiatrist - License yanked after incident at UMMC

Apparently she didn't feel like leaving a party to do her job, and then was acting offensively and arrogant, etc -- well you read the story. As reported in the Worcester Telegram

State medical regulators last week suspended the license of a local psychiatrist, who practiced at UMass Memorial Medical Center and at a private practice in Westboro, after the doctor allegedly ignored an on-call assignment last spring and then assaulted two hospital police officers and a nursing supervisor later that day.

Dr. Perveen Rathore, 51, of 5 Arrowhead Lane, Westboro, voluntarily agreed not to practice medicine in early June 2007, shortly after the fracas at UMass Memorial. The state Board of Registration in Medicine yanked her medical license March 5, according to state records.

The board’s order alleges Dr. Rathore was the on-call psychiatrist for UMass Memorial on Sunday, May 20, but refused to come in to evaluate an uncooperative patient because she was at a party at the time.

When she showed up at the hospital later that day — after another psychiatrist had been summoned to do the competency evaluation — Dr. Rathore refused to leave the building and grew increasingly belligerent, according to the order. A nursing supervisor called hospital police when she found Dr. Rathore typing an e-mail in the building after being told to leave several times.

“Two UMass police officers approached the respondent and instructed her to leave the hospital, but the respondent ignored them and kept typing,” the order states. “One of the police officers reached over to shut off the computer monitor, and the respondent struck him.”

When the officers moved to arrest Dr. Rathore, she screamed and fought with them and also struck the nursing supervisor, according to the order.

Dr. Rathore was charged with three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (shod foot), disorderly conduct and trespassing. The charges were later dismissed in Central District Court, according to court records.

UMass Memorial spokeswoman Alison Duffy said the hospital accepted the state board’s disciplinary action against Dr. Rathore.

“She did not practice here after the May 2007 incident. She was removed from service at that point,” Ms. Duffy said.

Dr. Rathore also had a private practice called Child and Family Services of Westborough, according to the report. The West Main Street psychiatric office’s telephone number has been disconnected.

After the incident with UMass Memorial police, the doctor was taken to the emergency room complaining of chest pain. She was civilly committed to Wing Memorial Hospital in Palmer that day and released two days later, according to the order.

Dr. Rathore’s home telephone number in Westboro is unlisted, and her Boston lawyer didn’t return a call yesterday.

The suspension of her medical license could be lifted if she successfully completes a program of behavioral modification and treatment, according to the order.

“The board’s primary goal is always to ensure patient safety, but it always wants to help physicians return to health practice,” said Russell Aims, spokesman for the Board of Registration in Medicine.