A Pennsylvania weight-loss doctor has been suspended after being suspected of performing vaginal exams on a couch and questioning his patients about their use of tampons.
Dr. Prabhakara Tumpati was accused of inappropriate actions in 2017 and in October the State Medical Council found that he had violated professional standards.
According to disciplinary records, Tumpati inappropriately touched a patient’s genital areas on an office couch, inquired about their use of tampons and allowed a medical assistant to dispense weight-loss medications without authorization.
Tumpati, who is described as a weight and sleep doctor, has denied the inappropriate exams took place and plans to appeal his three-year suspension in court, state records show.
It still has two other offices in Cherry Hill, New Jersey and Brooklyn, New York. His lawyer said he did not practice in the New Jersey office.
Tumpati attorney Peter Good of Caldwell & Kearns said The Philadelphia Inquirer: “We understand that the discipline might have been appropriate, but we believe the board’s sanction was harsher than it should have been.”
Weight and sleep physician Dr. Prabhakara Tumpati had his license suspended in Pennsylvania after several patients accused him of inappropriate tests performed in 2017.
According to disciplinary records, Tumpati inappropriately touched a patient’s genital areas on an office couch, inquired about her use of tampons and allowed a medical assistant to administer medication in zero gravity without authorization.
It is unclear why Tumpati was not punished for six years. In his appeal to the Commonwealth Court, Tumpati said the board abused its power in imposing a harsher penalty.
“There was no immediate concern about imposing a sanction earlier,” his lawyer said in the appeal.
Two of the reported complaints were filed by patients in July and September 2017, the Inquirer reported.
A 30-year-old patient reported that during her visit, Tumpati asked her to pull down her pants and underwear before performing a vaginal exam, according to legal documents.
During the exam, he began questioning her about her tampon use, records show.
During his time with the second patient, Tumpati allegedly touched her stomach with an ungloved finger before reaching below her belt and moving toward her inner thigh, documents revealed.
Tumpati denied what happened with the 30-year-old woman and told the commission she suffered from a skin condition that he said required examination, documents show.
He said he decided not to document his skin condition in his file because it was not related to weight loss.
He appealed Pennsylvania’s decision to suspend his license for three years and said the board abused its power in giving him a harsher penalty. (photo: its Philadelphia office)
It still has two other offices in Cherry Hill, New Jersey and Brooklyn, New York. His lawyer said he did not practice in the New Jersey office. (photo: Tumpati’s Brooklyn office)
In October of that year, the Pennsylvania Department of State sent professional conduct investigator Sherilyn Gillespie to its Philadelphia office to act as a patient.
Gillespie, who went undercover as a patient seeking weight loss treatment, reported that during her visit, Tumpati told her to lie down on the couch in his office for the exam.
According to the disciplinary file, he then pulled up the investigator’s shirt, pulled down her pants and, without precaution, put his hands in her underwear and ran his ungloved thumb over her hysterectomy scar several times .
In response to Gillespie’s claim, the doctor said he chose to examine her scar because weight-loss drugs are known to cause birth defects.
Tumpati said that with every patient, he wore gloves and washed his hands before exams. Her attorney said her couch was there to mimic “grandma’s living room” to help patients feel comfortable.
Each patient involved in the disciplinary case said they were all given cocktails of weight-loss drugs by a medical assistant.
The board punished Tumpati for having a medical assistant who was not qualified to dispense medications, including regulated weight-loss drugs that were undeclared, documents show.
The board called his behavior with patients “appalling” when they decided to suspend his license. They added that he “showed complete disregard for the emotional and physical well-being of patients.”
Tumpati said that with every patient, he wore gloves and washed his hands before exams. Her attorney said her couch was there to mimic “grandma’s living room” to help patients feel comfortable.
The board called his behavior with patients “appalling” when they decided to suspend his license. They added that he “showed complete disregard for the emotional and physical well-being of patients.”
The State Department recommended that his practice be subject to a one-year probationary period, but the board requested three.
His suspension may be reduced after one year, and his disciplinary action could be reduced to probation for the remaining two years.
According to its website, its two Pennsylvania locations are still listed as p(em), along with New York and New Jersey.
Public records showed he can still practice medicine in the other two states.
When the Philadelphia Inquirer called his Brooklyn office, it was accepting appointments.
His practice that he shares with another doctor and medical staff offers weight loss treatments like IV nutrition, body contouring, microdermabrasion, weight loss shakes and bars, and injectable medications like Ozempic and Wegovy .