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Thursday, May 23, 2013
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Former Watertown gynecologist Buckley sanctioned in Canada

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The Ottawa Citizen reported Friday that former Watertown gynecologist Dr. Joyce W. Buckley had been sanctioned by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario for failing to disclose that her medical license was revoked “by another jurisdiction for ‘gross negligence.’”

According to the college’s Aug. 30 decision, Dr. Buckley committed an act of professional misconduct, as the governing body of a health profession in another jurisdiction other than Ontario found she committed an act of professional misconduct. The report stated the College’s discipline committee ordered and directed that Dr. Buckley appear before the panel to be reprimanded, successfully complete at her own expense a College-facilitated instruction in ethics and pay $3,650 to the college within 60 days.

Dr. Buckley lost her license to practice medicine in New York in September 2008 after the state Health Department Board for Professional Medical Conduct concluded that she authorized and dispensed thousands of prescriptions for noncontrolled prescription drugs to men and women throughout the nation from 2005 to 2007 without having met or examined them. Her compensation for that was $150,000. She was required to pay a $40,000 civil penalty.

The Canadian newspaper reported that the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario “alleged Buckley misled the college in April 2008 when she renewed her medical license in this province.” The college says Buckley answered ‘no’ to the question: “Are there any disciplinary actions pending against you by a licensing authority other than the CPSO?”

Dr. Buckley was appointed to the Samaritan Medical Center staff in 2004, while still maintaining a practice in Ottawa. She also operated an obstetrics and gynecology practice in Nepean for several years since she moved back there in 2008.

According to information from the state Health Department Board for Professional Medical Conduct, Dr. Buckley alleged her partner, who wasn’t named in the 2008 report about her, performed a portion of those reviews in her name. Although not listed then, her former partner is obstectrician-gynecologist Dr. Elliott S. Cohen, who, during a period from February 2005 to March 2007, allegedly prescribed noncontrolled medications, such as Viagra, Levitra and amoxicillin, for a fee to customers of Business Services II, a pharmacy in Raleigh, N.C.

Although his license was temporarily suspended for a few months shortly after the finding, he still practices in Watertown at New Concepts Obstetrics and Gynecology Inc., 428 Washington St. He paid a $30,000 fine for his acts.

In April 2009, Dr. Buckley filed a state Supreme Court lawsuit at the Jefferson County clerk’s office against Dr. Cohen, claiming fraud and breach of contract. She claimed it was Dr. Cohen’s idea to engage in the Internet “scheme” and that he assured her it was legal.

When Dr. Buckley’s lawyer, Peter Hartnett, was reached by telephone Friday from his Syracuse office, he said there’s been some progress in that case.

“There’s a trial date set for Oct. 29, but the parties are talking about arbitrating it,” he said.

Mr. Hartnett told the Ottawa Citizen Thursday that Dr. Buckley’s position is that Dr. Cohen got Dr. Buckley involved in the prescription business.

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