Syracuse, N.Y. -- The state has disciplined a doctor accused of practicing with negligence while caring for patients in Marcellus. The state Board for Professional Medical Conduct, an arm of the state Health Department, issued a censure and reprimand against Dr. Aart Geurtsen. It also put him on probation for 36 months. In a statement of charges published on the...
Syracuse, N.Y. -- The state has disciplined a doctor accused of practicing with negligence while caring for patients in Marcellus.
The state Board for Professional Medical Conduct, an arm of the state Health Department, issued a censure and reprimand against Dr. Aart Geurtsen. It also put him on probation for 36 months.
In a statement of charges published on the Health Department’s website, the state said Geurtsen’s treatment of seven patients between 1986 and 2008 did not meet acceptable standards. The state said he failed to adequately treat certain conditions, failed to refer patients to specialists or delayed making referrals and failed to maintain adequate medical records.
The state charged him with two counts of misconduct — negligence on more than one occasion and failure to maintain records. In a signed consent agreement, Geurtsen did not contest the negligence charge as it relates to two patients, in full satisfaction of all the charges against him.
Geurtsen gave up his family practice in Marcellus more than a year ago and now works as a hospitalist at Community General Hospital and as a physician at Van Duyn Home and Home and Hospital nursing home, according to Andrew Knoll, Geurtsen’s attorney.
“In order to obviate the expense and the stress of a hearing, the best resolution of this matter was to enter into this consent agreement,” Knoll said.
He noted that a censure and reprimand is one of the lowest levels of discipline. “It reflected the state’s confidence that it was appropriate for Dr. Geurtsen to continue to practice medicine,” Knoll said.
While on probation, Geurtsen must be monitored by a licensed physician, who will randomly review some of his patient records at least once a month.