A Tucson physician who had been under investigation for unprofessional conduct has surrendered his license to practice medicine, Arizona Medical Board documents show.
Rinly R. Gecosala, who had been practicing in Arizona since 1999, agreed to give up his license on March 10, board records show.
Board documents show an investigation was initiated after a complaint that Gecosala inappropriately prescribed opioids and sent text messages that were βsexual in natureβ to a patient (referred to as βKTβ in board documents) whom Gecosala began treating in 2006.
The board investigation says Gecosala, who was a general-practice physician, failed to adequately review prior medical records or perform studies to assess the cause of the patientβs pain.
In spite of a βrelatively normalβ X-ray result, Gecosala, βcontinued to prescribe opioid medications and muscle relaxants to treat KTβs complaints of chronic back pain,β the surrender agreement says.
The agreement says board investigators found a pre-signed prescription pad a with blank spaces for the name and date of birth of the patient during a site visit to Gecosalaβs office in 2015. Signing a blank, undated or predated prescription form is considered unprofessional conduct under Arizona law.
Gecosalaβs last listed practice address was at a clinic called Citymed at 4099 E. 22nd St., Suite 107. County assessor records show that Gecosala owns the building.
The clinic, which has in its window the listed specialties of internal medicine, family practice, occupational medicine, preventive medicine and personal injuries, was closed and undergoing renovations on Tuesday.
The board can accept the surrender of a licensee under investigation if the licensee is either unable to safely engage in the practice of medicine or has committed an act of unprofessional conduct, said Patricia McSorley, who is executive director of the board.
When the Arizona Medical Board accepted the voluntary surrender of Gecosalaβs license, it prevented any need for the matter to progress to an administrative hearing that may have resulted in the revocation of his license, she said.
Medical-license revocations are rare, McSorley said. There were eight MD licenses revoked in Arizona during a period between Jan. 1, 2013 and Feb. 19, 2016, McSorley said.
βPhysicians are more likely to surrender for disciplinary reasons than proceed to a hearing that may result in revocation,β she wrote in an email.
The board had taken prior disciplinary actions β two letters of reprimand and five years probation β against Gecosala, a general-practice physician, dating back to 2005.
Details of those prior board actions were not available on the boardβs website Monday or Tuesday.
According to a May 2005 article published in the Tucson Citizen, Gecosala was reprimanded and fined $1,000 by the Arizona Medical Board for falsifying medical records and charging excessive fees.
Efforts to reach Gecosala were unsuccessful, and his lawyer, Michael Harwin, did not return phone calls Monday or Tuesday.
