NY Doctor's License Suspended Due to Inappropriate Infection Control Practices

The New York State Department of Health issued a warning to any patients who have received an intravenous infusion, injection, or blood draw at Tomorrow Medicine’s two locations in Westchester County, New York, due to potential disease exposure.

Health officials are urging those patients to get tested for hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and HIV, according to the official DOH press release.

After 4 individuals tested positive for HCV, the Department of Health and the Westchester County Department of Health decided to launch an investigation. Molecular testing showed that all 4 patients had identical strains of HCV, “suggesting transmission likely occurred at the practice.”

The DOH notes that potential disease exposure may have occurred at the following two Tomorrow Medicine locations: 37 Moore Avenue, #3, Mount Kisco, NY, and 1133 Westchester Avenue, White Plains, NY.

Howard Zucker, MD, JD, Commissioner of Health for New York has ordered the owner of Tomorrow Medicine, Timothy Morley, MD, to “immediately stop practicing medicine.” Dr. Morley’s medical license has since been suspended, after it was discovered that “a series of inappropriate infection control practices and concerns regarding the preservation, preparation, handling and administration of medicine.” The order to stop practicing medicine prior to a hearing was held was “issued out of concern that further lapses in infection control practices could put additional patients at risk.” Furthermore, Dr. Morley failed to produce records requested by the local and state health departments within 1 day, as is called for under the Public Health and Education Law.

The DOH is also advising patients who received any of the aforementioned services at a medical practice called Avanced Medicine of Mount Kisco to go for testing.

Recommending testing for HBV, HCV, and HIV is standard protocol, as they are “all spread through blood exposure.” Patients can get tested at no cost thanks to the Westchester County Department of Health by calling 914-995-7499, Monday through Friday, between the hours of 9 AM and 4:30 PM.

The DOH is also issuing a statewide health advisory to health care providers to warn them of the potential disease exposure.

Dr. Morley’s hearing is scheduled for September 19, 2017.