Each state has its own set of statutes and regulations on licensing doctors, accommodating patients who wish to file complaints, and releasing information about physicians who have been subject to discipline and legal action. On this page, we’re sharing the key findings regarding West Virginia, which we will continue to update as the series progresses.
Key fact: The West Virginia Board of Medicine, without filing charges or a formal complaint, agreed in 2014 to allow a registered sex offender -- a psychiatrist -- to practice while on probation. The psychiatrist, who had pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a minor, was barred from treating any patients under age 18 or those with any sexual disorders.
“It is unprofessional conduct to expose a patient for longer than is medically necessary, that the only reason to expose both breasts during a breast exam is to check for symmetry and …this can be accomplished in 10 seconds.”
— A board of medicine order regarding a gynecologist’s exams of three patients. After a breast exam, he left one patient exposed while he conducted eye and other exams of her, the board found.
In 2012, the West Virginia board received a report from the National Practitioner Data Bank that a hospital had issued an emergency suspension of his privileges because of an incident with an elderly patient. The patient, who reportedly suffered from dementia and Parkinson’s disease, bit off part of the doctor’s tongue, and the doctor was later arrested for sexually motivated battery, accused of sticking his tongue in the man’s mouth.
Seen, who also was a minister, was arrested and charged in a separate incident with felony child abuse, following allegations he had grabbed a teen and thrown him to the ground.
He was convicted of sexually motivated battery, but he fought the charge up to the state Supreme Court, arguing there was insufficient evidence for conviction or to show sexual motivation.
The court ruled that Seen wasn’t given sufficient notice that the prosecutor would argue that the incident was sexually motivated and vacated the requirement that he register as a sex offender. His license has remained suspended since 2012.
Seen has not yet responded to a request for comment.
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