Scottsdale,
Ariz. - The Arizona Medical Board, meeting to consider summary action via conference telephone call, voted today to suspend the medical licenses of two Arizona doctors. The suspensions are effective as soon as the doctors are notified.
The two physicians are Wahid Abdelhamid Ibrahim, M.D., of Kingman, Arizona, and Kenley M. Remen, M.D., of Paradise Valley, Arizona.
Timothy C. Miller, Executive Director of the Arizona Medical Board, said, "When the Board staff believes a physician poses an imminent threat to the public‘s safety and welfare, the Board takes prompt action to remove the threat and protect the public."
On January 18, 2005, the Arizona Medical Board issued an Interim Order that Dr. Ibrahim undergo an inpatient evaluation at the Betty Ford Clinic. Dr. Ibrahim had entered the Board's Monitored Aftercare Program in February 2003 following treatment. The January evaluation was to determine whether he had relapsed. The Betty Ford Clinic evaluation concluded that Dr. Ibrahim has significant cognitive deficiencies and was not safe to practice medicine. In addition, Arizona Medical Board staff said Dr. Ibrahim had not been compliant with the terms of his Monitored Aftercare Program, including failure to submit to random bodily fluid testing on several occasions. Board staff recommended summary suspension of Dr. Ibrahim's license.
On March 17, 2005, the Arizona Medical Board staff received information from Maricopa Integrated Health Systems, stating that Dr. Kenley Remen had been involuntarily hospitalized for psychiatric evaluation and treatment. Prior to his court-ordered evaluation and treatment, Dr. Remen was removed by security officials from two hospitals - Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles and University Medical Center in Tucson - which he visited without invitation or appointment to teach the doctors there how to reverse the effects of coronary heart disease and prostate cancer through yoga and spiritual healing.
On March 4, 2005, a Maricopa County Superior Court found clear and convincing evidence that Dr. Remen is a danger to himself and others as a result of a mental disorder and ordered him to undergo psychiatric treatment for at least one year. Based on this information, Board staff said Dr. Remen poses an imminent threat to the public health and safety, and recommended summary suspension of his medical license.
Since becoming the Executive Director of the Arizona Medical Board in December, Miller said new leadership is working to speed up the investigative process. "In addition to taking prompt action when necessary," Miller noted, "Board staff has reduced the average time for completing routine investigations by 34 days."
The Arizona Medical Board offices are located at 9545 E. Doubletree Ranch Road in Scottsdale
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