A judge in New Hampshire has denied a doctor’s request to renew her medical license, which she had previously turned over because she could not use a computer.
Dr. Anna Konopka, 84 years old, wishes to regain her practice, but the state challenged her record-keeping, prescribing procedures and decision-making, ABC News reports. The judge said that Konopka’s limited computer abilities keep her from using New Hampshire’s mandatory electronic drug monitoring program, which is a registry required for doctors prescribing opioids in order to reduce the number of overdoses.
Konopka surrendered her license in October, but asked for permission to continue her practice. Merrimack Superior Court Judge John Kissinger ruled on November 15 that Konopka had failed to show that she had been forced to turn in her license, as she claimed.
The doctor asked the judge to reconsider the decision on Wednesday, and is awaiting a reply. As such, Konopka is unable to see patients, numbering 20 to 25 weekly, as she used to.
She said,
I’m not upset about anything. The legal system is a game. You move. They move. It’s full of tricks and different movements. I am fighting. Therefore as long as I am fighting, I have some hope.
Konopka does not have a computer in her office and is unable to use one. There are two filing cabinets in a small waiting room located in a 160-year-old clapboard house that hold her patient records. She had a landline telephone on her desk – the only apparent sign of technology.
The state said that the cases began with a complaint about Konopka’s treatment of a 7-year-old asthma patient. She was accused of leaving the dosage to the parents, and of failing to prescribe daily inhaled steroids. Konopka said she never harmed the patient and that the child’s mother ignored her instructions.
There have been four more complaints against the doctor, prompting the medical board to begin a disciplinary hearing. Before it could push through, Konopka gave up her license, which she says she was forced to do.
The doctor has a loyal following in the town of New London and surrounding areas, where she brings a personal touch to patients tired of big hospitals and uncaring medical personnel. She takes in $50 in cash as a fee, making it difficult for her to hire anyone to handle her case.
