Jekyll and Hyde

Practising at the Watertown, New York hospital in 2003 - 2005, Elliot Saul Cohen, an obstetrician and gynecologist (who currently maintains a practise at 1005 Carling Avenue in Ottawa), utilized his spare time as a medical professional to earn some additional income.  He did this by reviewing 50,000 patient profiles to write prescriptions for non-controlled drugs obtained over the Internet. 


For which the online pharmacy paid Dr. Cohen handsomely indeed; $100,000 in sum total for that two years of casual prescription-writing.  New York medical authorities were not impressed.  It was their determination that this man violated limitations placed on his license, one that specified he was authorized only to practise medicine in Watertown as an obstetrician/gynecologist.


In lending his medical credentials to the process of selling online drugs he failed to follow accepted standards of care through prescribing medications to patients he had never personally seen, met or examined.  Found guilty of professional misconduct, he was censured, reprimanded and fined $10,000.  Dr. Cohen appealed this decision on the basis that no New York law existed prohibiting Internet prescriptions.


Paradoxically, a review board decision overturned the censure and reprimand, while at the same time imposing a three-year license suspension.  And increasing his fine to $30,000 from the original $10,000.  It is debatable how much satisfaction Dr. Cohen had out of that exchange.  The same board questioned Dr. Cohen's judgement and found it lacking.


There was a pronounced conflict involved in the fact that further investigation revealed "a clear split" between Dr. Cohen's Watertown practise, whereby he "provided the highest quality of OB/GYN services in an under-served area of New York", in contrast to his decidedly tawdry Internet prescription-writing practise. 


His conduct in New York is haunting him now with the College of Physician and Surgeons of Ontario investigating his having responded on an annual renewal form in 2008 that there were no legal problems in his background.  He had responded "no" to the routine query "Are there any disciplinary actions pending against you by a licensing authority other than the CPSO?"


Dr. Cohen practised as a specialist at the Salvation Army Hospital in Ottawa from 1981 until 2004, after graduating from the University of Ottawa in 1972.  He served as chief of OB/GYN from 1983-92, according to New York state department of health records.  Currently he continues to have hospital privileges at the Almonte General Hospital.


According to the U.S. documents, Dr. Cohen is a Fellow of the Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Canada, a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and a Diplomate of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.  Clearly, this doctor is well practised, capable and experienced.


Fine doctor, corrupt ethics.