The board of the American Academy of Dermatology unanimously voted to oust Scott Dinehart, MD, after he created an organization to board certify physician assistants who work in dermatology, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette reports.
Dr. Dinehart created the American Board of Dermatology Physician Assistants and had it incorporated as a limited liability company on Sept. 27. The group announced its launch on Oct. 7, according to the report. Dr. Dinehart faced immediate backlash for potentially misleading patients by allowing physician assistants to earn board certifications.
A Change.org petition calling for the removal of Dr. Dinehart from the board of the Academy had more than 2,300 signatures as of Oct. 22. "This is a money grab, from a man who benefits financially from PAs being able to confuse patients about the interchangeability between doctors and PAs by a made-up 'board certification,'" one commenter wrote on the Change.org petition, according to the report.
The board voted to remove Dr. Dinehart from the academy. As an elected officer, Dr. Dinehart cannot be removed unless at least 10 percent of the group's 15,272 eligible voters agree to remove him, according to the report. The member vote will end Oct. 29.
The LLC for the physician assistant group has been dissolved, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette reports.
Read the full story here.
More articles on integration and physician issues:
U of New Mexico neurosurgery residency to lose accreditation in 2020
Viewpoint: Medical schools need term limits to promote diversity
Harris Berman, Tufts medical school dean and health plan pioneer, to retire