Dr. Jemsek's license suspended for 1 year

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http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/14830962.htm

Dr. Jemsek's license suspended for 1 yearMedical board cites problems with conduct, consent in Lyme casesKAREN GARLOCH KGARLOCHCHARLOTTEOBSERVER (DOT) COMRALEIGH - The N.C. Medical Board decided Thursday to suspend for one year the license of Dr. ph Jemsek, determining he acted unprofessionally in his treatment of Lyme disease patients.The decision came after two days of hearing testimony from patients and medical experts before the 12-member board, which had accused the Huntersville doctor of misdiagnosing at least 10 patients with Lyme disease and inappropriately treating them antibiotics for months or years.But the board said that Jemsek, who's also known for his treatment of AIDS patients, will maintain medical privileges until July, when he meets with the board.Jemsek committed unprofessional conduct in the manner in which he treated the 10 patients whose cases the board reviewed and also by breaching informed consent, the decision said.Jemsek has practiced in the Charlotte area since 1979, first at the Nalle Clinic in Charlotte and since 2000 at the Jemsek Clinic in Huntersville.At the hearing Thursday, Jemsek, 57, defended his approach to diagnosis and treatment. His lawyer called two Lyme disease specialists from New York and Connecticut who supported Jemsek's contention that standard tests for Lyme disease are not reliable and that long-term antibiotic treatment is necessary for patients with chronic Lyme symptoms.During his testimony, Jemsek acknowledged that his practice has evolved over the years and that his office recently began using a new four-page form to explain to patients that his practice differs from the standard used by other N.C. physicians.He also acknowledged, under questioning by Charlotte board member Dr. Art McCulloch, that his office could have done a better job of taking care of one of the 10 patients, , when she called to complain about symptoms that turned out to be a sepsis infection., 32 of Huntersville, testified Wednesday that, while she was under Jemsek's care, she developed five infections as a result of having catheters in her arm and chest for delivering intravenous antibiotics for a year and a half. When she called Jemsek's office about the last infection, she said a nurse told her to take some antibiotics that were left from a previous infection. She was later hospitalized with sepsis, and said she nearly died."I'm disturbed about that too," Jemsek told McCulloch on Thursday. "That's not acceptable." He said the clinic has a better system now.He also testified that, based on experience treating Lyme patients since 2000, he would no longer continue patients on IV antibiotics if they have developed one or two infections.The board heard from six patients -- both pleased and angered by Jemsek's care -- and six physicians, including Jemsek.On Thursday, Dr. , a Connecticut internist who specializes in Lyme disease, told the board he had reviewed the records of the 10 Jemsek patients in question, and he agreed with Jemsek's diagnosis of all 10. also said he agreed with Jemsek's use of long-term antibiotic therapy in all 10 cases. But he added that he doesn't prescribe intravenous antibiotics in his practice, partly because of the risk of infection. When asked about ' case, said he would not have prescribed IV antibiotics for her, especially because "it's not clear to me how much better she was getting." is a past president of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society, a group of several hundred doctors, including Jemsek, who specialize in Lyme disease and who believe patients should be treated with antibiotics for longer than the four weeks recommended in the guidelines of the larger and older Infectious Diseases Society of America.Also Thursday, Dr. Fallon, director of the Lyme disease research program at Columbia University, described his recent research to determine the effectiveness of long-term antibiotics for patients who continue to have symptoms after a short-term treatment for Lyme disease.On average, he said, patients who took antibiotics for 10 weeks showed significant improvement over those who took a placebo.Both and Fallon agreed with Jemsek's testimony that standard tests for diagnosing Lyme are not reliable. That's why, they said, a Lyme diagnosis should also be based on the presence of certain symptoms, such as headache, joint pain, memory loss and confusion.Afterward, Fallon told the Observer that, as a physician, "your goal is to help patients. If longer courses of treatment are helpful, then physicians need to have the clinical freedom to provide that."