A Central Florida doctor who sent sexually explicit photos and videos to a patient has settled disciplinary charges against him by agreeing to a temporary suspension and a permanent restriction on his practice.
Dr. Tuan Dean, a family practitioner in The Villages, agreed to see only male patients when he returns from suspension, according to documents posted at the Florida Department of Health website. The Florida Board of Medicine earlier this month asked DOH to seek the suspension and permanent restriction through a formal hearing if Dean had not signed the agreement.
According to the Final Order, dated Aug. 18, the suspension may be lifted when Dean completes an evaluation by a program that treats medical professionals who have behavior problems, such as addictions or sexual abuse. Terms of his probation would depend on the outcome of the evaluation.
Also, Dean must give a one-hour lecture on the topic that got him into trouble: Appropriate boundaries for doctors and patients when using text messaging and other social media. The venue for his lecture must be approved by the board’s Probation Committee.
Dean and DOH prosecutors had proposed settling the case without suspension and only minor restrictions in his practice. But at a hearing on Aug. 1, medical board members objected that the settlement was inadequate to protect the public.
The agreement did not require Dean to admit that he committed the acts with which he was charged, but he did so in his appearance before the board. He apologized, saying he had been working too hard at the time and was “burned out.”
Dean was working at a Lakeland walk-in clinic in 2011, when he was accused of inappropriately sexting a 29-year-old female patient several times. Records show he had moved on to his practices in the Villages by the time the investigation began.
--Health News Florida is part of WUSF Public Media. Contact Editor Carol Gentry at 813-974-8629 (desk) or e-mail at cgentry@wusf.org. For more health news, visit HealthNewsFlorida.org.
