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Doctor deals to keep license
by Brian J. Slattery, Wake Weekly Staff Writer
A Louisburg doctor who worked briefly in Wake Forest in 2004 avoided losing his license to practice medicine by accepting a deal from the state's medical licensing agency.
David King, who specializes in internal medicine, was issued his license by the North Carolina Medical Board in 1989. He owns his own practice in Louisburg but worked in Wake Forest from April to October 2004, spending a half-day once a week working from the office of Orthopedic Specialists of North Carolina on Durham Road. King leased space in the office and was not affiliated with Orthopedic Specialists. King was accused of having an affair with an employee, then coercing at least one patient to contact the employee after she quit working at his office. The agreement, or consent order, allows King to continue practicing medicine, but records that his license is suspended for two years. The suspension was stayed for all but 90 days, though the board agreed that several treatment and evaluation courses King attended over the past five months constituted the 90-day period, meaning no further active suspension is required. The consent order states that in 2004, King discussed with several of his patients his personal relationship with the former employee, and he asked a patient to approach her at her new place of employment to relay a message from King. King discussed his personal feelings about his former employee with his receptionist, which caused her to resign in November 2004. He also had inappropriate conversations with his receptionist and a patient about this and other matters, the report said. After the board issued a notice of the allegations and charges against him, King agreed to an assessment by the North Carolina Physicians Health Program (NCPHP). Under their recommendation, King underwent an evaluation at the Professional Renewal Center, including education and training regarding boundary violations. According to the order, after the assessment, King elected to address the underlying issues associated with his conduct and was admitted to a treatment program at the Professional Renewal Center for three-and-a-half weeks. He also completed a course on maintaining proper boundaries at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in August. The consent order states King understands that by discussing personal problems with patients and employees, he committed unprofessional acts and failed to conform to the standards of acceptable and prevailing medical practice. North Carolina law allows for the board to annul, suspend, revoke or limit King's license to practice medicine issued by the board. The board placed King on probation under the following terms and conditions, with King's consent: He must ensure that a female chaperone, who has read the consent order, is present any time he examines a female patient who has partially or fully undressed. The chaperone must document that she was present during the examination and that no misconduct occurred during the exam. King must also meet with the board or board members for informal interviews as requested. King must notify the board in writing of any change in his residence or practice addresses or the addition of any new practice site within 10 days of the change or addition. He must obey all laws and regulations related to the practice of medicine. If he fails to comply with any of the terms, his license could be annulled, suspended or revoked. The board could also deny any license application he makes in the future or has pending, or could lift the stay and impose the suspension of his license. The consent order took effect Oct. 19. King referred calls to his attorney, Bob Clay, who did not return calls asking for a comment.
Last Updated On: October 27, 2005
Copyright 2005 The Wake Weekly