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The Charges of the
Texas State Board of Medical Examiners |
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| Dr Leonard's View of the Charges against him |
I drove into the office late that day to
take care of any loose ends and review phone calls and prescriptions. I was told
that Channel 8 called and wanted to know if I had any comments on allegations that
had been made. I had no idea what they were talking about. I called my
attorney. He was not in the office. I called several times and finally drove
down there and found out that he was out of town. I then called another
attorney who is a friend who told me to come right over. We called to find out what
the charges were and could not find anything out from the county because
there was nothing apparently on file. In fact, the only way we were able to find
anything out was to call the TV station. They were able to see the documents,
but we were not. Someone in the county attorney's office was carrying the
documents around. We went down to the Justice center for a walk thru on that very
Friday and there were no
documents available. We were told that someone in
the county attorney's office was carrying the documents around. Nevertheless
the media said that the police
were looking for me. We went back in on Monday,
and did a walk through for 2
charges of public lewdness.
After an unblemished record of 20 years of practicing neurology in Austin
and having seen over 20,000 patients, Two convicted felons had filed
complaints in December 2000 and August 2001.
On Friday, December 13, 2002. the day Cardinal Lot stepped down in the
Catholic priest sex
scandal, charges were filed against me.
The media was primed by the scandal and It was a slow news weekend.
This was followed by 6 days of non stop media blitz with more than 100
television reports about me.
Disaster Followed!
Without going into details about the complainants, neither of these had seen
me before. They were seen on busy overbooked days. They were unfamiliar
with my procedures. They did not understand the close proximity to a patient
that
is inevitable in performing the procedures that were planned to alleviate
their pain. Both patients were seen on short notice which added to a
substantial patient workload for those days.
The two patients complained and the press was alerted to their complaints.
(Texas is one of a minority of states that encourages complaints by requiring
a large sign with numbers of where to complain in doctors offices)
Sensational and distorted news reporting followed.
An 800 Number was broadcast to the general public to encourage other
complaints. Professionals at the Center for Peer Review Justice have carefully
reviewed the facts and are convinced that there was no inappropriate behavior.
Either the complainants misunderstood the procedures or they had other
motives for pressing their complaints. I might also add that I have never had a malpractice suit.
Due to the multiple complaints which arose from the media blitz, the Board of Medical Examiners felt it needed to temporarily suspend my license before a
full investigation was done. I started practice in Austin in 1982 and have treated over 20,000 patients.
Looking back, my practice has been based on words of wisdom from my family:
My wife reminded me that I have always believed that every patient deserves a
doctor.
Advice from my Dad
"It doesn't matter
How many rich and powerful people you take care of, the way you treat people
less fortunate than yourself tells the kind of man your are."
Wisdom from my Mom
"No matter how stressful things become, Don't Lose your Idealism"
Wisdom from My Grandfather "Men make plans and God
laughs"
Grandma's Reply
"Things work out for the Best and God takes care of His Children."
I see injured workers in the Workers Compensation Program. In many of these
types of programs, you have to tell a person NO, that certain services are not
a benefit of the program and this often makes the patients angry. By
definition, these patients are involved in litigation and are often angry to
begin with because they have to struggle to get their benefits. Carriers commonly
tell the patients that they will pay for what the doctor orders, when in
reality, they will consider what the doctor orders. When they deny the order, the
patient thinks that the doctor has wronged them.
I cared for the chronically ill. I provided neurology services to Group home
patients and I quietly covered the Seton Emergency Room at no charge when
other neurologists in town refused last year in a work stoppage over payment.
Now that you know my practice philosophy and the values under which I live
my life, you can better understand how my inability to practice medicine is
the single worst thing that has ever happened to me.
I cannot tell you how my life has changed since that time.
I now have a lawyer for All Seasons and All Reasons:
- An administrative law Lawyer for the Board
-A research administrative Lawyer
-A criminal Lawyer
-An appeals law Lawyer
-A family law Lawyer
-A medical legal Lawyer
-A financial Lawyer
Vic Feazell, former District Attorney of McClendon County told me that this
is like finding out you have cancer and your health insurance was canceled
last week.
Please Help!
He who saves one life, it is as though he saved an entire world.
I love my Job! |
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| A Physician's View of the Case Against Philip J Leonard, MD |
I am a native Texan, Duke
fellowship trained neuroradiologist. I have been practicing in Austin
for five ye ars,
and probably know Phil Leonard's medical capabilities as well as any physician
in Austin. He and I often would review films of his patients in his office
during his clinic hours, as I often worked next door. His attention to
detail, his genuine concern for his patients, and his knowledge of neurology is
impressive. I have never seen him be anything but ethical, appropriate,
and professional with his staff, patients, or other physicians. He is an
asset to the community, and I am writing this letter with no reservations.
I hope you are able to have him return to practice medicine as soon as possible.
Our medical community needs physicians of his caliber.
Scott E. Campbell, M.D. |
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"I am Bruce L. Gardner of
Austin, Texas and have lived in Austin since 1968 when I came to the
University of Texas as a freshman. I am married with 3 children. For the
last 26 years I have made my livelihood as an insurance and investment
broker. I have known Dr. Philip Leonard since 1991 when I met him in a parent’s meeting for a Sunday school class that our children attended. I remember that he was very friendly and had a great sense of humor. Several years later I suffered from migraines and went to see him professionally as a neurologist. Previously, I had gone to 2 other healthcare providers to treat my headaches, but to no avail. They gave me prescriptions but the medicines made me groggy and unable to work effectively. Dr. Leonard was able to diagnose the cause of the migraine and not merely treat the symptom. He asked if I had allergies and I do as do a large percent of Austin residents with “cedar fever.” He prescribed Claritin which quickly eliminated the migraines. I was very impressed. |
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I have also seen him for back pain and he has
given me trigger point injections. I can attest to not only their
effectiveness, but that the procedure requires that the doctor comes into
close contact with the patient when finding the trigger points and
performing the injections. Although the procedures were uncomfortable,
they were always done in a very professional manner. I have had clients
who have had injections who have told me the same thing. I would continue
to recommend clients to Dr. Leonard without reservation. I might add that part of my business is providing health insurance to small and large businesses. My clients, as well as, have remarked how impersonal and hurried doctors are in these days of managed care, HMOs and PPOs. Dr. Leonard took a great deal of time diagnosing my headaches and I might add, did not charge me for a 2 hour diagnostic consultation but only for an office visit. Over the years my wife and 3 daughters have seen Dr. Leonard such ailments as a sore back after an auto accident, sleeplessness, headaches, etc. At all times he was a professional and a gentleman. As an insurance and investment broker, I have worked with quite a number of doctors. One observation I have is quite striking. His office furniture and patients are very different from my other client doctors’ office furniture and patients. The furniture is worn with couches that need to be reupholstered, chairs that need to be repainted, etc. The patients in the waiting room are predominately Black, Brown, and elderly. I asked Dr. Leonard about this one day and he said that he has always felt that it was a religious and moral obligation to help the least among us. He said that he was one of only 2 local neurologists who accepted new Medicaid patients and also that many local neurologists no longer accepted new Medicare patients. Dr. Philip Leonard is a fine physician. He provides the very poorest and
oldest the best medical care he can without regard for the ability to pay.
I
have spent a great deal of time with him and cannot imagine him acting in
the way
he been accused. On several occasions over the years, I have referred
several male and female clients and my friends to him and have heard not
only no
complaints but several testimonials on how good a doctor he is.
I consider it a privilege to call him my doctor and my friend. |
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My letter is offered in support of
restoring |
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| Had it not been
for Dr. Leonard's level of current medical knowledge and experience with
diagnosing and treating MS patients, my recovery period would have been
longer and left me with worsened health. He recognized the level of misery that I was suffering and initiated treatment and medications that had not been provided DoD or VA. I responded quickly and positively to his therapy and recovered some sense of normalcy. On other occasions, Dr. Leonard was responsible for restoring the full use of my left hand, reducing the intensity of my nearly constant headaches and frequent migraines, increasing my everyday energy levels, diagnosing and referring me for treatment of a spiral fracture of my left femoral neck that resulted from a fall, and numerous other problems. His professional care and attention to identifying many unique problems associated with MS has not only improved my physical health since but also greatly improved my mental health. In my humble opinion, Dr. Philip J. Leonard is among the finest and most professional individuals within the medical profession. Since my first meeting, I have been thoroughly impressed by his expanding range of specific medical knowledge and expertise. I am continually amazed by the breadth of his knowledge and interest in world history, current events, politics, and nearly every subject that we have discussed. What I am attempting to state is that Dr. Leonard has always taken the time necessary to extract enough relevant information to allow him to make correct diagnoses and practice good medicine. He has always exuded professional and personal confidence increasing my comfort level that I am in trustworthy hands. One of my wife's female friends is also a patient of Dr. Leonard; she has stated to my wife that her experiences with him has always been at the highest professional level and cannot believe any truth to the accusations brought against him. He is a genuine humanitarian; I wish that more doctors would be like him. Our world would be a better place with less individual suffering and greater understanding between of the doctor/patient relationship. The reader of my short letter should be able to understand that I am thoroughly pleased with the care and association with the good Dr. Leonard. I consider his judgment and examination methodologies to be unquestionable and are within the highest standards of medical ethics. More doctors of his caliber are desperately needed by us; unfortunately, there are too few It is my sincerest hope that Dr. Philip J. Leonard be allowed the privilege to again practice medicine within the critical specialty of neurology and associated injuries and diseases. Sincerely, RODNEY L. RAWLINGS Brigadier General, AUS (ret) |
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Friday, December 13, 2002 was my day off. I had
just completed one year of
ritual mourning of the death of my father the
previous week. Our family recently put up a stone on my dad's grave and I
just returned from my mom's house earlier in the week. This was supposed to be the
start of a relaxing weekend.
Dr. Leonard's license to practice medicine in the State of
Texas. I find it impossible to believe the accusations made against him to
be true.