Pediatrician Allegedly Broke Law, Behaved Badly

A Barrington pediatrician may have to pay a fine and attend a course that “addresses disruptive physician behavior.” 

Dr. A. Joseph DeLuca, a pediatrician who owns Alpha Pediatrics, 310 Maple Ave., was issued a consent order alleging those violations by the Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline of the RI Department of Health last Thursday, Nov. 14. The board must still ratify the order.

The order says that the doctor spoke to a vaccine distribution coordinator in an “unprofessional manner “in July of 2012 and failed to supply medical records for more than 9 months to a patient who switched to a new doctor in 2011. Both are believed to be violations of Rhode Island’s general laws.

The board has ruled that DeLuca should pay a $600 fine to cover “staff time spent investigating and reviewing the complaint, as well as register for a board-approved course that addresses disruptive physician behavior. Both actions must be complete within a set time period.”

If the consent order is violated, the director of the health department could suspend the doctor’s license, according to the consent order. DeLuca has privileges at Rhode Island Hospital and Woman and Infants’ Hospital in Providence.