California Medical Board Puts Child Psychiatrist Syed T. Rizvi on Probation for 3 Years for Negligence

September 13, 2022

On August 18, 2021, the Medical Board of California ordered that the license of Syed T. Rizvi be placed on probation for a period of three years. 

Rizvi is a child psychiatrist with Kaiser-Permanente in Lancaster, California.

This was the result of the Board’s accusation against him consisting of charges of gross negligence, repeated negligent acts, and failure to maintain adequate and accurate medical records in the care and treatment of one patient. The Board found that Rizvi, who  committed extreme departures from the standard of care by failing to acknowledge, or to document, significant signs and indications of excessive prescribing. Despite prescribing significant amounts of control substances to the patient and the initiation of an antipsychotic, there were only infrequent and insufficient face-to-face visits. He failed to document the patient’s substance abuse use disorder and her continued requests for controlled substances and early refills of the same. 

Additionally, he failed to refer the patient to a chemical dependency program; continued prescribing to the patient outside of regular visits; and routinely prescribed powerful medications without routine visits or documentation of a discussion with the patient of the risks, benefits, and alternatives to such medication.

Source: Decision in the Matter of the Accusation Against Syed Tahir Rizvi, M.D., Physician’s and Surgeon’s Certificate No. C53519, Case No. 800-2017-037985, Medical Board of California, August 18, 2021.