New York psychiatrist Clifford Jacobson disciplined by state, fined $10,000

April 10, 2013

On March 11, 2013, the New York Department of Health placed psychiatrist Clifford Jacobson on 36 months probation and fined him $10,000 on charges related to prescribing and recordkeeping practices. The State alleged that Jacobson inappropriately treatment patients who complained of pain, anxiety or other mental health conditions by prescribing opiates without proper evaluation and/or documentation of symptoms or effects of the medication, or recommending other options or referring to other specialists. The State has also prohibited him from practicing pain management and treatment of attention deficit disorder; he may no long prescribe certain medications. Jacobson was sentenced January 24, 2002 to six months home confinement and a $50,000 fine, among other things, for health insurance fraud. He pleaded guilty to mail fraud for billing insurers for more psychotherapy that he actually delivered to patients between 1994 and 2000.