Monitor For Dr. Jones

Volunteers pitched in to help find Dr. Jones a monitor

per the medical boards demands, so he could keep treating children.

Thanks to all who continue to support him!

Hartford Courant

HARTFORD - - July 20, 2010 The state medical board on Tuesday withdrew plans to consider additional sanctions against a New Haven pediatrician known for supporting a controversial Lyme disease treatment.

In March, the Connecticut Medical Examining Board ordered Dr. Charles Ray Jones to find a physician to monitor his practice, part of a disciplinary order that also included placing his license on probation for four years and a $10,000 fine.

The order gave Jones 30 days to find a monitor, but as of last month, he had not found one. In response, medical board members raised the possibility of imposing additional penalties and scheduled a hearing on the matter. But the board withdrew plans for the hearing Tuesday after learning that Jones had found a monitor.

Dr. Robert Elisofon, a retired pediatrician, will review 12 of Jones' patient charts each month. Jones found him with the help of a company that identifies monitors.

Jones' attorneys told the board last month of the difficulty of finding a doctor to monitor Jones' practice, which they attributed to the publicity his case has generated and the busy practices pediatricians tend to have.

They said Jones' office manager had faxed a letter to 209 Connecticut pediatricians, none of whom responded. At the time, an attorney for the state Department of Public Health questioned the quality of the search.

Jones' discipline stems from charges that he violated medical standards in cases involving three children. A board panel ruled that Jones failed to consider other diagnoses when he ordered tests to confirm Lyme disease in two children without examining them and prescribed antibiotics to another child before examining her.

Jones has said he did nothing wrong and has appealed. The license probation has been stayed until after the appeal. Jones' supporters, who include the families of patients and Lyme disease advocates, say he has been targeted because of how he treats Lyme disease.

Jones and his supporters believe Lyme disease can be a chronic condition that requires extended treatment with antibiotics. The mainstream medical community has largely rejected that view and considers chronic cases rare.

In disciplining Jones in March, members of the medical board said they did not consider the debate over chronic Lyme disease, but found that Jones violated standards that applied to all doctors.

Full article:

http://www.courant.com/health/hc-jones-lyme-disease-0721-20100720,0,20609.story