Pediatrician loses his medical license over gun charges

star ledger ^ | January 10, 2008 | MARYANN SPOTO

[Coleus]

A Toms River pediatrician under investigation for firing a gun in his office surrendered his license to practice medicine while authorities yesterday detailed the serious allegations against him. At its regularly scheduled meeting yesterday in Trenton, the state Board of Medical Examiners approved a consent agreement with Jose Romillo to take his license pending the outcome of the investigation, said Larry DeMarzo, acting director of the state Division of Consumer Affairs.

Romillo, who obtained his medical license in 1976, was charged Dec. 31 with firing a handgun sometime in October. From that investigation, state and Ocean County health officials determined Romillo may have administered expired vaccine to at least two patients. In addition to the handgun charge, DeMarzo outlined allegations of serious abuses and misrepresentations to patients provided by two of Romillo's employees.

DeMarzo said Romillo carried a loaded handgun in his Fischer Boulevard medical office during working hours and apparently fired it numerous times there. Jeffrey Lamm, spokesman for the state Division of Consumer Affairs, which oversees the state Board of Medical Examiners, said Romillo did not fire at employees, but the weapon discharges were evident by bullet holes in a wall.

Romillo also is accused of injecting a patient with an empty syringe that should have contained vaccine. The doctor allegedly brought to his office and drank alcoholic beverages and treated patients while under the influence. He also did not perform tests for strep throat on patients but told their parents or guardians that he did, DeMarzo said. Romillo also is accused of improperly disposing medical waste. "The alleged actions of Dr. Romillo violated the trust of his patients and the professional standards that govern the conduct of physicians," DeMarzo said. "We cannot allow him to continue to practice medicine in light of these allegations."

[Still Thinking]

Romillo, who obtained his medical license in 1976, was charged Dec. 31 with firing a handgun sometime in October. From that investigation, state and Ocean County health officials determined Romillo may have administered expired vaccine to at least two patients.

Exsqueeze me? How, in the process of investigating an improper firearm discharge do you find out the guy is using expired vaccine? Ask his nurses "Have you ever seen him do anything wrong?"

[LongTimeMILurker]

Dr. House is a jerk as a physician, and probably in real life. No one in the real world would put up with his antics, no matter how good a diagnostician he was. Besides, he gets it wrong about five times before he gets it right anyway.

Also, anyone mention that breaking into people’s houses “for their own medical good” is still against the law? Any police officers present? Any Warrants issued? Illegal. Illegal. Illegal.

This show is wrong for medicine, wrong for freedom, wrong for America.

[stormer]

You know, I hate to break it to you, but it’s a TeeVee show; those people in the magic box are actors.

[LongTimeMILurker]

Notice I said “probably (House (Laurie) is a jerk) in real life”. No separation from reality. TV has far too much influence in what people think reality should be. A good example is the “free clinic” concept pushed thoughout the years on many, many TV shows. Guess what? Every Democratic candidate, and many of the Republicans, think National Health Care is a good idea. Even many corporations now think this. They see that in Socialist and Communist countries, wages are so low, and health care expectations are so low, that the executives of the corporation can make more money with laborers there than they did with the Unions here, Unions which until a decade or so ago, were anti-Communist.

House justs add to that the concept that the Fourth Amendment is something that can just be laughed off, particularly when government controls health care like it does schools and social services.

For years, Hollywood has broken down every barrier as to what was once a great nation. So even though I know it’s just a TV show, I see others think that it portends reality. And in too many cases it has.