Doctor's license is suspended over allegations of sexual misconduct with patient
The Iowa Board of Medicine has suspended the license of a Centerville physician accused of sexual misconduct involving a patient.
According to the board, Dr. Joshwa Tromblee 'exchanged inappropriate messages' with a female patient he first saw at MercyOne's Centerville Medical Center on Sept. 24, 2021. Tromblee was a family-medicine physician at that time.
Tromblee saw the patient again on Aug. 8, 2022, and April 3, 2023. The patient subsequently sent Tromblee a Facebook friend request, after which the two exchanged messages on Facebook and Snapchat. The exchanges included 'sexually inappropriate messages and sexually explicit pictures,' the board alleges.
Tromblee also sent the patient money on one occasion, according to the board. At some point, MercyOne reviewed Tromblee's social media exchanges with the patient and determined he had violated the standard of conduct and crossed a line by engaging in an inappropriate patient-physician relationship. He was placed on paid administrative leave on April 12, 2023, and was fired nine days later, according to the board.
Twenty-three months later – one week after Tromblee's license expired — the Board of Medicine charged Tromblee with sexual misconduct and, at the same time, agreed to a settlement to resolve the case.
The settlement entails an indefinite suspension of Tromblee's license. He is required to schedule a multidisciplinary fitness-for-duty assessment within 30 days, and to comply with any and all recommendations stemming from the evaluation.
He also is required to complete a course on professional ethics. Once reinstated, his license will be placed on probation for three years.
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