Three doctors disciplined by board; 4th has license suspended

The Minnesota Board of Medical Practice this month restricted the license of Dr. Brent Williams of Glencoe, Minn., for professional incompetence that contributed to the death of a patient seeking care in an emergency room.

The board also restricted the license of Dr. Gregory Angstman of Cannon Falls for improperly prescribing controlled substances, contributing to two patient deaths.

Dr. Yohannes Gebre, of St. Paul was reprimanded for engaging in conduct with a patient that was sexual, or could have been construed as sexual. It indefinitely suspended the license of Michael Centrella, an osteopath from Brooklyn Center, for violating a previous order of the board and abusing addictive substances.

According to disciplinary documents made public on Thursday, in 2006 the board received a complaint about Williams from his employer, who was not identified. The board found Williams failed to meet minimum acceptable standards of medical practice and showed careless disregard for patients' health and safety.

In one 2005 case described in the order, Williams was responsible for treating a patient on kidney dialysis who came to an emergency room with pneumonia and shortness of breath. Williams failed to provide a cardiac monitor or other treatment. The patient died in the emergency room while Williams was arranging to have the patient transported elsewhere. The board described four other instances of incompetence.

Williams was ordered to complete two medical education courses, practice in a board-approved setting and meet regularly with a supervising physician. If he complies, he may petition the board for an unrestricted license in three years.

Angstman was disciplined and fined $5,000 for inappropriately providing controlled substances to patients. In one of five cases described in the order, he provided pain killers and methadone to a patient for two years, even though he knew the patient was suspected of selling his medications. In 2005, the patient died from an overdose of methadone prescribed by Angstman.

Yebre was reprimanded for seeing a 26-year-old female patient alone and giving her a massage after completing her physical exam. He told the board that doing so was a terrible mistake and was remorseful. He denied sexual intent.

The board said he can only see female patients with a board-appointed chaperone, must complete a course in professional boundaries and pay a fine of $1,485.

Centrella, an osteopath, was disciplined by the board in 1992 for chemical dependency. In 2007 he failed numerous drug screening tests, admitted abusing alcohol and violated the board's orders governing his prescribing practices for patients. The board suspended his license indefinitely. He can petition for reinstatement if he undergoes chemical dependency treatment and remains drug-free for six months.