Physician Faces Morals Allegation Dan Coulston Faces Charge For Making Sexually Explicit Phone Calls To Patient
A well-known Spokane AIDS doctor is facing a charge of unprofessional conduct for having sexually explicit telephone calls with a patient.
The state Medical Quality Assurance Commission accuses Dr. Dan Coulston of moral turpitude, incompetence that either injures or creates an unreasonable risk of harming a patient, and abuse of a patient.
Coulston admits having the phone conversations in fall 1992. In fact, he reported the calls himself to the commission in October 1995.
“I think he recognized he made an error of judgment and he wants the matter totally rectified,” said Dan Keefe, Coulston’s lawyer.
“Dan Coulston is probably one of the most highly respected and humanitarian physicians in this community.”
Coulston’s office referred phone calls inquiring about the case to his lawyer.
Coulston, who specializes in internal medicine, was licensed as a physician and surgeon in Washington in July 1980. Since the early 1980s, he has been a regional leader in treating AIDS patients.
He’s recognized as a patient advocate who works closely with the Spokane AIDS Network. He was appointed to the Governor’s Task Force on AIDS in 1987. He’s also served on the Deaconess Heart Foundation.
Coulston began seeing a female patient in 1991.
The woman suffered from inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid problems, and psychological problems including a history of drug abuse, long-term anxiety, severe depression and suicidal thoughts, according to the statement of charges filed April 14.
Coulston was the woman’s primary-care physician until 1993. In fall 1992, he told investigators, he had four or five sexually explicit telephone conversations with her.
State health officials would not discuss specifics of the case because the charges are pending. A hearing is scheduled for Nov. 18-21 at an unspecified location.
A settlement could be reached before then, said Mike Farrell, an attorney with the Department of Health handling the negotiations.
Possible sanctions include counseling, continuing education and the loss of his medical license.
But “the commission’s mindset is not to revoke the license when (members) feel there is the possibility of rehabilitation,” said Maryella Jansen, the commission’s program manager.
The commission last brought charges against a high-profile Spokane doctor in March 1996, when Spokane County Coroner Dexter Amend was charged with moral turpitude. After a three-day hearing in November, the retired urologist was told to pay a $1,000 fine and complete 20 hours of sensitivity training.
Most complaints to the medical commission don’t result in formal charges. Of 888 complaints made in the fiscal year ending in 1996, only 50 resulted in statements of charges.
Only one other complaint was filed against Coulston. That complaint, made in May 1992, was closed almost three months later after no cause for action was found.
, DataTimes