AZ and CA Medical Boards Take Action Against Psychiatrist James Ryan for Sexual Misconduct, Controlled Substances

May 29, 2019

On March 8, 2019, the Arizona Medical Board summarily suspended the license of Mesa psychiatrist James M. Ryan.

According to the Board’s document, their investigation was initiated after it had received information indicating that the Medical Board of California issued an Accusation against Ryan’s license in that state, containing allegations that he’d engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with three patients.

The California Board’s document lays out numerous allegations of gross negligence by Ryan relative to three female patients (Patients A, B, and C):

Patient A

1. Committed sexual misconduct by engaging in sexual contact with Patient A;
2. Engaging in telephonic, email, and/or text message correspondence with sexual overtones with Patient A; and
3. Advising Patient A to have extramarital affairs while engaging in (1) and (2).

Patient B

1. Violating Patient B’s boundaries by ignoring her express requests that he not touch her because of her history as a victim of sexual assault, and rubbing her hands, her back, and her inner upper thighs close to her groin area;
2. Engaging in other unprofessional behaviors by shoeing Patient B photos of himself without a shirt on for no medical reason and stating “Honey, I’ll prescribe whatever you want,” while holding her hand and rubbing her arm; 
3. Excessively prescribing multiple high-dose benzodiazepines to Patient B without scientific rationale; and
4. Failing to document with progress notes his patient care and prescription of controlled substances for Patient B, or alternatively, taking from the clinic and destroying Patient B’s medical records.

Patient C

1. Prescribing controlled substances to Patient C without any diagnostic rationale or by leaving progress notes to justify the prescriptions on multiple occasions; and
2. Diverting for self-use, the controlled substances he prescribed for Patient C.
3. Dating Patient C, a former patient, a month after the alleged end of the physician-patient relationship.

The California Board’s document also charges Ryan with having “prescribed, dispensed, or furnished dangerous drugs…without an appropriate prior examination and a medical indication, in his care and treatment of Patients B and C.”

The California Board’s document also states that, following Ryan’s sexual misconduct with Patient A and boundary violations of Patient B that Patient A’s husband made a formal complaint to Ryan’s employer and that Patient B told her husband and friend about Ryan’s conduct and then filed a police complaint against him.

The California Board's document also reports that, prior to leaving California to work in Arizona, Ryan left a handwritten birthday note for his wife in which he stated, in summary:

• that he provides psychiatric services to the secret agents of the CIA,
• that he was being mistreated by the psychiatric community,
• that he was trying to pull strings with the medical board,
• that Patient C is “the hightest rated assassin” of the government,
• that he is “the best psych” that the U.S. government has and “the only one [available] to fix their agents,”
• that he was required to legally change his last name because his connections to the medical professional have to be severed, and
• that he will have another identity which he cannot disclose to her.

He added that she should not discuss what he wrote to her in any text or email.

During an investigational interview with staff of the Arizona Medical Board, Ryan denied all allegations documented in the California Board’s Accusation, responding to staff that during the time period covered by the Accusation, he was experiencing delirium that affected his ability to recall specific events.

The Arizona Medical Board then issued an Order to require Ryan to complete and evaluation with a Board-approved provider within 14 days. Ryan failed to comply with the order. The Arizona Board then issued an Order restricting his practice. Ryan informed the Board that he did not intend to comply with the Order. Thus the Board issued a Summary Suspension of his license.

Source: Interim Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law and Order for Summary Suspension of License in the Matter of James M. C. Ryan, M.D., Holder of License No. 53075, Arizona Medical Board Case No. MD-19-0084A and Accusation in the matter of the Accusation Against James Matthew Crowley Ryan, M.D., Physician's and Surgeon's Certificate No. A136356, Case NO 800-2016-022096, Medical Board of California.