Adrian Gollas, MD, an anesthesiologist in Sioux City, Iowa, is asking a state court to overturn the Iowa Board of Medicine’s finding that he committed fraud on his medical license application, according to an Aug. 31 report by the Iowa Capital Dispatch.
The board voted in July to deny Gollas’ application, saying he gave false answers about being dismissed from a University of Texas anesthesiology residency program, taking a leave of absence, and prior discipline from medical boards in Texas and New Mexico, Iowa Capital Dispatch reported Aug. 31.
The board’s findings state Gollas was removed from his residency for failing to renew a work permit and for performance and behavioral issues. He later sued the University of Texas over the loss of his residency appointment, an effort the New Mexico Medical Board said was unsuccessful. Gollas has said the false answers on his application were not intentional, attributing them to a third-party licensing service that helped him complete the paperwork.
The board rejected that explanation.
“Blaming his erroneous answers on a third-party vendor assisting him in filling out his application may explain what happened, but it is not a legal defense,” the board wrote in its decision.
“While Dr. Gollas may have a strong history of patient care and has provided much assistance to his family and community, this cannot outweigh the pattern of untruthful answers, which frankly calls into question either his honesty — which is a core trait demanded of doctors — or his ability to be attentive to details, which is also a core trait expected of doctors,” the board wrote.
Gollas has filed a petition in Polk County District Court seeking judicial review of the board’s decision. The case is pending.
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