Here’s Your Instant Guide To Reprimanded Professionals

Whether you want to check the qualifications of professionals ranging from dentists to landscape architects or obtain a listing of those found guilty of professional misconduct, you can log on to the State Dept. of Education’s web site and get an instant answer.
You can if you happen to know the existence of this on-line guide for consumers.
Up until now, consumers seeking such information have been left in the dark by the New York State Board of Regents — a group of 16 members who define professional misconduct for dozens of practitioners.
The State agency set up the web site but has done little or nothing to let the public know of its existence.
This week The Queens Courier is publishing the web site address, the list of the licensed professionals who are covered under the provisions of the State law and the names of Queens’ dentists who have been found guilty of unprofessional conduct.
It follows our disclosure on Dec. 17 of Queens’ worst doctors drawn from the State Health Dept. web site., https://www.health.state.ny.us./nysdoh/opmc/main.htm
The State’s jurisdiction covers the following specialties: medicine, acupuncture, physical therapy, physician’s assistant, specialist’s assistant, chiropractic, dentistry, dental hygiene, pharmacy, podiatry, optometry, ophthalmic dispensing, psychology, social work, massage, occupational therapy, speech pathology, audiology, nursing (registered professional nurse, license practical nurse),architecture and landscape architecture, engineering and land surveying.
Consumers who want to obtain a current list of specialists who have been found guilty of professional violations by the Regents can log on to www.nysed.gov
To find out whether a particular licensee has been the subject of any Regents action, consumers can call the State’s automated phone line (518) 474-3817. From 1996-1998 the Regents found 10 Queens dentists guilty of professional misconduct.
The dentists, from such communities as Bayside, Astoria, Flushing, Jackson Heights and Jamaica Estates, were disciplined for a variety of reasons. They ranged from abuse of children, assault, errors on insurance claim forms and failure to repay student loans.
Under the Rules of the Board of Regents, the following are some of the violations of professional conduct that have been promulgated:
•Willful or grossly negligent failure to comply with substantial provisions of Federal State or local law, rules or regulations governing the practice of the profession.
• Exercising undue influence on the patient or client, including the promotion of the sale of services, goods, appliances or drugs in such manner as to exploit the patient or client for the financial gain of the practitioner or of a third party.
• Directly or indirectly offering, giving, soliciting or receiving or agreeing to receive any fee or other consideration to or from a third party for the referral of a patient or client.
• Permitting any persons to share in the fees for professional services, other than: a partner, employee, associate in a professional firm or corporation, professional subcontractor or consultant.
• Conduct in the practice of a profession which evidences moral unfitness to practice.
• Willfully making or filing a false report, or failing to file a report required by law or by the Education Dept.