Iowa doctor accused of incompetence faces fifth round of licensing sanctions

An eastern Iowa physician who has faced disciplinary charges on four previous occasions and been hit with an $18.1 million malpractice verdict is now facing allegations of incompetence.

Dr. Lynette Iles, a 57-year-old physician who practices family medicine in Washington, Iowa, is accused by the Iowa Board of Medicine of professional incompetence, failure to comply with a board subpoena and failure to comply with a board investigation. A disciplinary hearing in the matter has been scheduled for Aug. 19.

The board has not publicly disclosed the basis for any of the charges against Iles.

In February 2009, the board accused Iles of failing to provide appropriate medical care and treatment for patients with chronic pain and failure to maintain appropriate professional boundaries with patients. As a result, Iles agreed to complete 30 credit hours of additional education and to be monitored by the Iowa Physician Health Program while her license remained on probation for the next five years.

In January 2014, the board accused Iles of failing to provide obstetrical care to multiple patients at her Washington practice between 2005 and 2010. She was ordered to pay a $5,000 civil penalty and barred from practicing obstetrics, her license was placed on probation for an additional five years and she was required to undergo remedial education and training and monitoring.

In May 2015, the board accused Iles of failing to comply with the terms of her 2014 settlement agreement, in part by failing to complete the educational requirements imposed earlier. As a result, she was fined am additional $5,000.

In June 2017, the board again accused Iles of failing to comply with the terms of her 2014 settlement agreement. As a result, she was fined $10,000 and her medical license was suspended for 30 days.

Earlier that same year, a Washington County jury found that Iles was negligent in the care provided to a pregnant patient, Lisa Phillips, and her child, who sustained brain damage immediately prior to birth, leaving her permanently disabled with spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy. At trial, the jury awarded Lisa Phillips $18.1 million.