Local physician Dr. Frank Wade has been suspended from practicing medicine for four months for ethics and prescription record-keeping violations.
The Mississippi Board of Medical Licensure held a hearing on March 25 on charges of improper sexual relations of a doctor with a patient, which is a violation of the doctor-patient relationship. The board was also looking into improper documentation of control substances prescriptions by Dr. Wade.
The relationship being investigated was between Dr. Wade, Chief of Staff for Magee General Hospital, and Cindy McIntyre, former Director of Nursing for the hospital and also a patient of Wade, as her primary care physician. Wade is also a physician in the St. Dominic’s Family Medicine Clinic in Magee.
The licensure board is a panel of doctors from across the state. The hearing officer was Alexis Marsh of the State Attorney General’s office.
The board heard the details of a relationship that started in the summer of 2018 and ended when Dr. Wade was prompted to do so by Saint Dominic’s officials in August 2020. The hearing was scheduled after St. Dominic’s had subpoenaed records following an investigation by the Mississippi Board of Medical Licensure.
McIntyre testified that Dr. Wade had told his church minister as well as the hospital administrator and chairman of the board about the investigation.
As Chief of Staff for Magee General, Dr. Wade and Dr. George Gillespie, DO, are the only two staff doctors for the hospital. Gillespie is Director of Emergency Operations and oversees the Emergency Room. Other specialists are associated with the hospital but are not staff.
Dr. Wade is also the staff physician for Hillcrest Nursing Home in Magee, where he cares for between 50 and 60 patients.
In the discussion of prescription documentation violations, one of the medications specifically mentioned was Xanex. Of 50 prescriptions written for McIntyre while she was under Dr. Wade’s care, 72 percent were not listed on her medical records.
The hearing board drove home the point that it was inappropriate for there to have been a doctor\patient relationship of that nature. Both Wade and McIntyre indicated that they did not consider their relationship to be a violation of medical ethics.
The hearing took several hours with Wade and McIntyre being the only witnesses to testify.
The board ruled that Dr. Wade was guilty of the two violations and would be suspended immediately from practice and must complete a psycho-sexual evaluation along with classes in ethics, statutory law, record keeping and medical ethics. Dr. Wade must complete all requirements and classes before he can appeal to the board to have his license reinstated. There is a mandatory four month period before this may happen.
Benny Hubbard, chairman of the Magee General Hospital Board, confirmed that he was aware of the investigation of his relationship with McIntyre had been ordered. Hubbard stated that this is a personnel matter associated with Saint Dominic’s. He said he would have no further comment but added that the hospital would continue to fulfill the healthcare needs of the community.
After being contacted for comment, Dr. William Morgan, president of St. Dominic, said, “Dr. Wade is no longer with the organization.”
Morgan added, “St. Dominic’s Family Medicine will continue to serve the Magee community. Molly Katherine Mayhugh, NP, is seeing patients, and our team is contacting established patients to ensure continuity of care.”
