A Lakewood doctor sentenced last month for having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old has been temporarily barred from practicing medicine.
The state Board of Medical Examiners has suspended the license of Dr. Pedro J. Diaz pending a hearing, said Susan Miller, director of the health care section for the board.
Neither Diaz nor his attorney, Stephen Higgins, responded to requests for comment Wednesday.
On June 21, the medical board issued a suspension order citing the 39-year- old physician’s conviction and stating: “Respondent abused alcohol and marijuana and has psychiatric disorders that may render him unable to perform medical services with reasonable skill and safety.”
Colorado does not require a physician’s license to be automatically suspended or revoked for any reason, Mil ler said.
The board has the discretion to do either, based on evidence. In Diaz’s case, his license was suspended before the board conducted a hearing on the case.
To issue such a summary suspension, the board must find that public health and safety are at risk, Miller said.
“It’s a pretty high threshold,” she said.
A criminal conviction – misdemeanor or felony – does not necessarily trigger a summary suspension, she said. “I can think of a lot of convictions of crimes that would not rise to that threshold,” Miller said.
Diaz pleaded guilty in March to a misdemeanor charge.
On June 8, Jefferson County Judge Judy Archuleta sentenced him to 10 days in jail and five years’ probation and fined him $200, plus restitution and court costs.
Diaz must also register as a sex offender.
From 1997 through 2006, the board revoked 34 physician’s licenses and suspended 147.
