Florida psychologist Daniel R. Lerom gives up license, avoids discipline in patient sex-drugs case

June 2, 2010

Florida psychologist Daniel R. Lerom has given up his license to practice in Florida, in order to avoid further disciplinary actions by the state licensing authority.  

The Florida Department of Health suspended Lerom in January 2010 on an emergency basis, based on the results of an investigation which found that Lerom treated a female patient beginning in 1995, when the patient was 23 and married and continued through her divorce and on and off through early 2009.  The state's document containing the findings of the investigation states that the patient was prescribed narcotic pain medications following a spine surgery and that Lerom repeatedly asked the patient for some of the drug and continued to share her narcotics for several months. 

Lerom began a sexual relationship with the patient in February 2009 which continued until May 1, 2009, when Lerom’s wife read a text message on his phone sent by the the patient.  Lerom’s family confronted him the next day about his relationship with the patient.  According to the state's document, he and the patient engaged in sexual activity/intercourse on 23 occasions and exchanged “hundreds” of calls and text messages. 

Lerom abruptly ended the relationship after his family confronted him, which the patient did not take well, resulting in hospitalization for three days in May 2009.  It was discovered that Lerom billed the patient's Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance for 80-minute “specialty” consults, all occurring on days when Lerom engaged in sexual activity ("including having oral sex or sexual intercourse”) with the patient, resulting in the exhausting of her annual counseling benefits without delivering counseling.  He later assured her that he’d had her benefits restored, which was not true. 

In giving up his psychology license, Lerom agreed never to apply for a license to practice a health-care profession licensed by the Florida Department of Health.

Source: Order of Emergency Suspension In Re: The Emergency Suspension of the License of Daniel R. Lerom, Psy.D., License Number PY 4407, Case Number: 2009-11318, State of Florida Department of Health, filed January 15, 2010 and "Psychologist Agrees to Give Up License to Avoid Disciplinary Action Involving Sexual Harassment," The Ledger, June 1, 2010.