Charlotte psychiatrist loses NC medical license after having affair with a patient
A veteran Charlotte psychiatrist lost her state medical license this week after having a lengthy affair with a patient whom she informally kept treating and medicating with no documentation.
The N.C. Medical Board revoked the license of Dr. Patricia Boyer on Monday after finding that she violated professional standards by having an intimate relationship with a current or former patient.
According to a board filing, Boyer agreed with the findings, cooperated with investigators and has expressed remorse for her actions.
Boyer, 64, could not be reached for comment Wednesday morning. A call to the home phone number listed for her in public records went unanswered and was not returned. The office number for her Fairview Road practice was no longer in service.
She joins at least 30 Charlotte-area physicians who have been publicly disciplined by the Medical Board since 2020 for such violations as oxycodone distribution, over-prescribing, substandard care, abandoning a practice, and, in multiple instances, inappropriate personal relationships with patients.
In one case, a Charlotte physician was sanctioned in January after he provided free, after-hour medical spa treatments to a contestant in the Mrs. North Carolina beauty pageant followed by dinner and sparkling wine.
According to a Medical Board filing, Boyer practiced psychiatry and geriatric psychiatry. In late 1999, she began seeing a client, identified in the document as “Patient A,” who reported being in an abusive marriage while suffering from other psychological strains.
After several years of treatment that showed “a lack of therapeutic progress,” Boyer discussed ending her treatment of the patient. They later began a consensual and personal relationship that lasted until 2017.
At some point in the affair, Boyer began treating Patient A “off the books,” meaning without medical documentation. The care included Boyer writing multiple prescriptions for the patient, some for controlled substances.
The revocation of her license was immediate. It can only be restored by the board.
This story was originally published May 26, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
