The former head of Cape Cod Healthcare Dr. Richard Salluzzo was reprimanded by the state for inappropriately prescribing Valium and Zoloft for himself, family members, and an employee while failing to keep medical records, reports The Barnstable Patriot.
The Massachusetts Board of Registration yesterday fined Salluzzo $3,000.
His attorney, W. Scott Liebert, said many physicians write prescriptions "without following all the technical guidelines," according to a Boston Globe article. Liebert also said the board did not find evidence of substance abuse and will not be monitoring Salluzzo going forward.
"Lots of doctors think there's a friends-and-family plan. Not so much," medical board spokesman Russell Aims said in a Cape Cod Times article. Physicians are required to create medical records, including histories and physicals, for family and friends as if they were any other patient, according to Aims.
Cape Cod Healthcare responded in a statement that "no complaint was ever reported or filed by any patients or physicians here regarding the quality of the clinical care provided by Dr. Salluzzo," according to the Globe article. The health system also noted that Salluzzo was instrumental in the organization's financial stability.
Salluzzo took helm of Cape Cod Healthcare in July 2008 and is credited with turning the organization around. In November 2010, he abruptly resigned to pursue other career opportunities, according to another Cape Cod Times article.
Although the licensing board found there was no indication of illegal actions, Salluzzo's disciplinary incident will be listed in the National Practitioner Data Base.
For more information:
- read the Barnstable Patriot article
- read the Cape Cod Times article about disciplinary action and the article about the fine
- read the Boston Globe article
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