A doctor who failed three licensing exams in Ohio and pleaded guilty to practicing medicine and prescribing drugs without a license in that state, was granted a Maryland medical license and kept it for three years before his background was discovered by Maryland officials.
State medical authorities now acknowledge that Dr. Seward Boyd Jr., an osteopathic physician, also was denied a medical license in Georgia in 1988 and had his New York license suspended in 1989 before Maryland authorities finally got wind of his background in September 1989.
But it was another year before Maryland acted to suspend his license. He was finally forced to surrender it earlier this month.
Boyd's story illustrates weaknesses in the way Maryland has policed its medical licensing system -- problems which state authorities say they've resolved since the system was reorganized in 1988.
J. Michael Compton, acting executive director of the Board of Physician Quality Assurance, said, "Our staff is trained and the systems are in place now to prevent things like this from happening. I think we can respond today very promptly."
In any case, Compton said, Boyd "was not a high priority case." He apparently never actually practiced medicine in Maryland, except for four days last year at the Patuxent Naval Hospital.
"There was no sex, no drugs, no deaths or serious injuries -- what we regard as our most serious cases, which have to take action on immediately," he said.
Osteopathy is a medical therapy involving the manipulation of abnormalities of the musculoskeletal system that are thought to cause disease and inhibit recovery. Osteopaths may prescribe drugs and perform surgery.
"There has never been any complaint about the quality of medical care [Boyd] has given. His problem was that he began to lie on license applications," Compton said. Neither Boyd nor his attorney could be reached for comment.
Boyd first obtained a Maryland license in December 1987, having passed the Federation Licensing Exam (FLEX) with a score of 75 or better.
In a letter surrendering his license, Boyd admitted that he failed to disclose to Maryland licensing authorities that he flunked the same test in Ohio three times, or that he had been convicted in Ohio of practicing medicine and prescribing drugs without a license.
