Still don’t know what the mental evaluation is for…

jmacmidwife

I sent this email three times before Ms. Spooner replied. 

12/1/2017 ES, You haven’t answered any of my questions to my last email (below). I’d like to know what this psych evaluation is for. And why it needs to be so involved (inpatient) when I don’t have a reason for it. It seems malicious, egregious, and not what a true professional regulatory board is designed to do. How is it ethical if y’all are requesting I have inpatient treatment when I don’t have a diagnosis? And how is it ethical for the psychiatrists to perform a psych evaluation when there isn’t an indication? And nothing in my order nor in my case suggests I have a mental illness or addiction.
 I’d like to know legally who oversees the LSBme? Is it the governor or state attorney general? Who decides if the Lsbme is following the law? 
I sent an email asking if ridgeview institute in Smyrna ga is sufficient to provide the psych evaluation. You did not respond. Is this place sufficient? 
Likewise how am I supposed to pay total of court fees back when I can’t get a job with the suspension on my background check? Is there an appeal process or another way to pay this? Can I pay in community service hours? I’m not a doctor. I don’t make this much a year even when I did practice midwifery. And again I don’t have an income at the moment.  
I’m homeless. You can reach me at this email address. If I get a job or donate enough blood each month to get my own residence I’ll send you a permanent address. 
I’m trying to be compliant with whatever is realistically doable but it’s like the lsbme isn’t following the spirit of the law and is making decisions based on emotion rather than reality. 
I attached the Louisiana state board of nursing Cme’s in another email since my profession is most like a certified nurse Midwife not a doctor. Will these courses on the nursing Boards website suffice? You never replied to that other email which again makes it hard to be compliant with the order. 
Also does the ALSO course work for the evaluations and identification of high risk pregnancy education requirement? http://www.aafp.org/cme/programs/also.html
Also on my order it states I need to demonstrate how I understand the rules and regs. Do you want a paper written?  I need to know what this means. How am I supposed to go about doing this? 
Likewise it states i need to make a personal appearance once off suspension. How do I get on the schedule? 
Thank you for your help. JM

Reaching out to the Federal Trade Commission

jmacmidwife

I am now frustrated, annoyed, and getting nowhere fast with the LSBME. They are bullying me around and preventing me from getting a job and health insurance that I need to get rid of the thyroid cancer. I reached out to many lawyers and public interest groups. However, because there are not many licensed midwives in Louisiana, there are not a lot of people affected or so it seems. One of the reasons for that is the antitrust issues the LSBME presents. It intimidates midwives so that of course there will not be many in the state especially ones who they have deemed disruptive. I wrote to the FTC, but have not heard from them yet. 

12/1/2017 I am certified as a certified professional Midwife (CPM) through the North American registry of midwives (narm). I have an associates degree in direct entry midwifery (non nursing). I had a midwifery license that was unrestricted in WI. 

I would appreciate any help with the Louisiana state board of medical examiners (LSBME). It is beyond corrupt. Two years ago my (non-nurse direct entry) Midwife license was suspended based on their opinion that I was a danger to the community even though no one was hurt or injured. They claimed I delivered a baby incorrectly even though the parents testified on my behalf that nothing went wrong and they’d hire me again. The complaint was from a photographer who didn’t have any medical training. Conveniently that same year a competing birth center opened five miles away from my home in my city. The photographer worked closely with that birth center.  When Home birth non-nurse midwives (certified professional midwives or CPMs) were originally licensed the state rules required a board of Midwives to review licensing complaints. As years passed and the state couldn’t afford to fund the midwifery board because of budgetary constraints it was absolved and combined under the medical board (all physicians). Currently no midwives (nurse or non nurse ones) serve to review complaints. During the adjudication the lsbme held me to an obstetrical standard or a CNM ( certified nurse Midwife) one. I’m not a certified nurse Midwife. 

By suspending my license indefinitely the LSBME limited its citizens access to a home birth Midwife because i had a patient who delivered unassisted without any trained medical provider at Home three days after my suspension because I didn’t have time to petition the Board for a completion of her care as it was a weekend. I had no choice but to stop caring for clients in the middle of their pregnancies even though I was not sure how I was a danger to clients as no one in my care had been hurt or injured or died. I had only had a midwifery license in la for a year. And it was my second delivery. Additionally I had a doctor overseeing all of my clients per la law. The doctor stated in EMR five times that my client was suitable for a home birth. I have an associates degree in midwifery that I cannot use now as my license is permanently suspended. I also have another degree in midwifery from a private school in Florida but I cannot gain licensure there because of my suspended one in la.  I had a license in Wisconsin also which was not affected but I chose not to renew it. Since there are only 10 licensed midwives in Louisiana losing one Midwife can limit access to care for women seeking out of hospital births. Clearly midwives are competition for doctors.

The board is imposing egregious and burdensome requirements for my Suspension to be satisfied. For instance a psych evaluation with no basis for this. And although the order doesn’t state the level of psych evaluation the doctor in charge of the board is making me get an in-depth three-day in-patient  evaluation. Again there is no basis for this as no drugs, no alcohol, nor psych disorders were involved in my case. Likewise the Order doesn’t give a “diagnosis” for the psych evaluation as their isn’t one but nevertheless I need to complete one. 

Please help. I moved to Georgia to continue working as a Midwife because it isn’t regulated in ga. And because I cannot get a job because background checks prevent me from qualifying. 

I tried to link the adjudication from the lsbme website but it is unavailable at this time. Thank you. JM

$18,000 are you !^&%$#* kidding me?

jmacmidwife

First of all, how in the world could a three-hour hearing amount to nearly $18,000? Especially when the Board’s attorneys are on salary. Is the LSBME padding the cost? Are they trying to make money off this hearing? Why am I paying for the attorney at my hearing when he is paid by taxpayers? Do I have to pay twice? I’ve recently (12/10/18) emailed Denise Businelle, Director of Operations, for a breakdown of the LSBME budget for 2015. Likewise, I also emailed on 12/11/18 Ms. Spooner for a breakdown of the attorney fees per hour and other costs associated with this hearing. I will update when information is received. I mean, seriously, was I paying for the LSBME rent? Was the attorney charging $4,000 an hour? Did copies of blank medical records cost thousands of dollars? Lunch was delivered for the doctors on the medical board. I believe they were sandwiches–were they made of caviar and filet mignon? There is no way the attorney fees cost this much and it is outrageous, unethical, and illogical to make someone who had not even had her license for a year pay this much. I did not even make this much ever as a midwife. And once again, I did nothing wrong.

Secondly, why did it take me contacting the LSBME to have them send over my info to the accountants office? Do they not need to pay taxes? Is there no budget? Shouldn’t my fees for administrative dealings have been calculated soon after my hearing? Apparently the LSBME was not intending for me to ever contact them or they were never concerned with recouping this exorbitant amount of money. In ethical and legal terms, why wasn’t my hearing costs reported to the state in 2015? I’m no accountant, but surely that has to throw the books off just a little, doesn’t it? Or is the LSBME allowed to just allowed to operate like the Wild West? It seems accountability to the taxpayers is lacking. And I know at the hearing  seen here http://www.soundoffla.com/?p=1750 for the bill introduced this May in the Louisiana Senate by Senator John Milkovich to finally provide oversight to this board, the state auditor’s office is arguing with the Executive Director, Vincent Culotta Jr., about the lack of transparency at the LSBME. The own state of Louisiana’s auditor cannot get into the LSBME fort-knoxed building to get records. You just cannot make this stuff up. 

Next concern is how much is a court reporter charge? Over $2,000 seems a bit excessive IMO. According to https://lawyerist.com/court-reporter-transcripts-not-copyrigh/ 

Many attorney’s don’t realize what goes into a transcript and who gets what as far as the money goes. Here is a typical scenario:

1. Court reporter shows up to a depo and is paid $50 per hour for 8 hours (minus an hour for lunch) to take down testimony. The reporter only receives about 65% of the hourly rate.
2. Attorney orders an O+1 of a 200 page transcript @ $4.40 per page of which the court reporter is obligated to pay 35% to the firm who they received the job from.
3. The court reporter then sends the transcript to a scopist that charges around $1.25 per page.
4. The scopist sends the transcript to a proofreader for $.25 per page.

The cost to the attorney for 7 hours of billable time and a 200 page transcript would be approximately $1,230.00. Once again, my hearing was only a few hours with a break for lunch. There is no way this cost this much money. Even if I hired a court reporter for 8 hours- it still should be less than what I was charged. Again, are they padding the fees to make money off my hearing? Sure seems like it. 

And what exactly is a Confident(ial) Executive Assistant? Are they making up their own titles now? I emailed Rita Arceneaux and inquired about her title and role at the LSBME. On 12/11/2018 she replied that 
“I was moved into the classified position of Executive Staff Officer on November 7, 2018.  You can get the job description for all civil service positions on the State Civil Service website.” However, when I search  https://apps01.civilservice.louisiana.gov/asp/onestopjobinfo/JobView2.aspx I cannot find a job description for a “Confidential Executive Assistant.” I find this very intriguing that Rita’s previous job doesn’t really exist. lol It is almost as if they made her title up so they can do shady things at the LSBME without having to be accountable to pesky details like job descriptions. Who has time for that! Not the LSBME apparently. 

No total yet and still waiting for reason for mental exam

jmacmidwife

11/28/2017 ES, I hope your Thanksgiving holiday was well. 
I need to seek preapproval for this Institute to do a psyche eval, despite the fact that there is no basis for the psyche eval. Please let me know if it is acceptable. https://ridgeviewinstitute.com/recovering-professionals/ 
“The Recovering Professionals Program is offered at our Ridgeview Institute Smyrna location.
Ridgeview Institute began treating health professionals in 1977. We learned that professionals in other fields experience similar stressors, develop similar coping styles, and often require the same kind of intervention and treatment to bring about recovery. In 1987, our program expanded to include treatment for all professionals with addiction and dual diagnosis disorders. Since 2004, we have earned a national reputation for also treating professionals with a primary psychiatric illness. Safe Drug Use for the Recovering Addict or Alcoholic.Professionals may self refer, be referred by an employer or mandated for evaluation by a licensing board or agency to determine both the nature and extent of current problems in functioning. Upon admission, our multi-disciplinary team will provide a comprehensive evaluation of the patient’s physical, psychological, and spiritual health. Additional testing or screening may be provided, as needed. At the conclusion of the evaluation, the professional and referring organization receives a diagnostic summary and recommendation for further treatment at the inpatient, day hospital, intensive outpatient level. Aftercare is available to assist the professional in the transition after treatment.”
Likewise, will my primary care doctor (Dr. Lee or another doctor at OLOL Primary Care physicians in BR) be adequate for a physical exam? What exactly are you looking for? Any certain tests?
Also, the Louisiana State Board of Nursing has already compiled a list of acceptable remedial courses, I am seeking preapproval for one of these courses in either ethics and medical documentation from this list. Please let me know asap which courses are acceptable. http://www.lsbn.state.la.us/Portals/1/Documents/rnp/ResourcesCECourses.pdf
“Preferred Continuing Education Providers for disciplinary remediation. If you wish to take a course not on this list to fulfill your CE requirements as stipulated in your Board Order or Agreement, please e-mail a course description with the provider name to monitoring@lsbn.state.la.us for pre-approval.”National Council State Boards of Nursing Learning Extension http://learningext.com• Righting a Wrong: Ethics and Professionalism in Nursing- Renew your commitment to ethical and professional conduct.• Ethics of Nursing- Balance your values and the right of your patient to self determination.• Medication Errors- Understand dangers and minimize risk of nursing medication errors.• Documentation-Help doctors prescribe care based on accurate nurse charting.
American Nurses Association (ANA) http://ananursece.healthstream.com• Applying ANA’s Code of Ethics to Everyday Practice (exp. 12/31/2016)• The Sacred Ethos of the Everyday World of Nursing (exp. 12/31/2014)
RN.org www.rn.org/• Documentation: Accurate and Legal• Legal: Ethics for the Professional Nurse
Nurse.com http://ce.nurse.com• Document it Right: A Nurse’s Guide to Charting (exp. 06/22/2015)• Document it Right: Would Your Charting Stand Up to Scrutiny (exp. 06/22/2015)
RN.COM http://www.rn.com• Professional Documentation: Safe, Effective and Legal (exp. 06/01/2015)

Thanks for the assistance. I look forward to hearing from you soon. And I am still waiting for the total of court fees. 

11/28/2017, ES, I forgot to add would any of these courses suffice for ethics or medical documentation? They are from the Massachusetts Medical Society. Thanks, JM

It has been two weeks in addition to two years of waiting for the LSBME to add up the total for my hearing. A four-year old could add this up faster. One has to wonder how ethical this is? Doesn’t the LSBME have to submit a budget to the state? Doesn’t the LSBME have to balance its books so-to-speak? How is the fact that they didn’t have a total yet legal? Additionally, I am now doing my own research to find what courses will suffice and still asking about mental health evaluation criteria. I ask if my personal general practitioner is good enough for the physical part and if a local treatment center in Georgia is good enough. 

Still No Total nor Reason for Mental Evaluation

jmacmidwife

11/21/2017 ES, Thank you for the information. Is the test taken in Hattiesburg? 
What do you mean by reinstatement application? Can you give me more information?
Is there a list of doctors that do physical and mental or are both at that facility in Hattiesburg? Thanks for the help. JM

11/21/2017 ES, Also. I have to pre approve everything in my order. How do I go about doing this? Will sending my courses and selected doctors to the board via certified mail suffice? I don’t live in Louisiana. Thanks, JM

11/21/2017 
Good morning,
Yes the evaluation will take place in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Ms. Brook will set everything up once you contact her. A separate list of providers is not necessary as you will be evaluated by the treatment team at Pinegrove. When I discussed your case with Dr. Mouton, she instructed me to give you the contact information for Pinegrove to have your evaluation completed. You will need a reinstatement application because you have not had an active license since December 19, 2014. ES

*Take note that Dr. Mouton is the women who has been terrorizing healthcare providers under her authority. She will finally be removed from this post in the summer of 2018, but until then she continues to destroy people like myself. And just to extort more money out of me, the LSBME is making me reinstate a license they have put on suspension. How can this be legal to make me pay for a license I cannot use and they suspended? 

11/21/2017 ES, You said there was a list of psychologists in Louisiana. Can I have access to the list? The contact you gave me in Mississippi seems a bit much for having no diagnosis. They want a three day evaluation for $3,000.  That’s insane especially when there was no reason for this Court order.  I’m located in Georgia. Is there a closer facility or doctor where a basic psych exam can be accomplished. Usually most courts require a 2 hr one which is a few hundred dollars. This is extortion to require me to have an expensive in patient evaluation for no reason. Does my attorney need to contact you for the list? Thank you for your time. JM

11/21/2017 ES, I spoke with Jessica brook and again I need to give a reason for the evaluation and I haven’t got one. Can you please give her a reason? Since my case was not based on drugs or alcohol or any mental issues I don’t know what you are looking for. 
Can you send a link or tell me what needs to be done for reinstatement? How much is there a form? What’s required. Thank you. JM

I ask repeatedly for Ms. Spooner to tell me what needs to be done to reinstatement, besides the obvious fulfill requirements. I am wondering if I need to fill out a form and how much reinstatement will cost. She seems not to comprehend what I am asking. Sadly this won’t be the first or last time we have issues communicating. However, I am more than willing to fulfill my egregious requirements, I just need information to get them going. The deliberately keeping information away from me has been hindering my ability to get my sanctions accomplished. 

11/21/2017 JM, I did not know that you were in Georgia. A basic evaluation will not suffice. I have to discuss this with Dr. Mouton and I will get back to you. If you want to have your license reinstated, you must comply with the stipulations in your Order. ES

Ah, yes, Dr. Mouton strikes again by telling me I need more than a basic evaluation, but won’t tell me why or what exactly I need.

Again, I am not questioning that I need to comply with stipulations to have my license reinstated. I get that.  I am asking for the cost and forms associated with it, because naively, I thought I would be getting off suspension soon. hahahahahahaha.

And seeing that it has been over two and a half years since my hearing and they still do not have a total for fees, something tells me accounting is not there specialty.

And who cares if I am in Louisiana anymore? How is that relevant?

11/21/2017 ES, Why won’t a regular assessment suffice? Especially when There isn’t a reason on the order for the psych or medical evaluation. 
I understand that I must comply but you aren’t explaining what that means. What does reinstate mean? What do I need to do to reinstate? Do you mean just comply with orders or is there more that y’all are going to tack on? 
The lsbme cannot make requirements that are burdensome and egregious. it’s unethical at the very least to require me to undergo medical and psych evaluation for no reason other than on the whim of dr mouton. You haven’t provided a reason to me to have to have an extensive assessment. Its wrong and borderline illegal. JM

Estimated Total $6,000 and Pine Grove

jmacmidwife

11/20/2017 ES, Just wondering how much longer you anticipate this taking? 
Can you pls forward me a list of physicians and what diagnosis they are looking for? Thanks so much for your time and assistance. Regards, JM

Miracles happen–I got a verbal estimate that the total of fees and fines and court accouterments would be about $6,000. Yikes. Still a lot of money especially for someone who did nothing wrong. Oh, and did I mention I was out of work? Sigh. Regarding the mental evaluation, this is not the last time we will hear from Jessica Brook at Pine Grove. In the spring of 2018, Jessica will quote me $3,000 for a mental exam at Pine Grove, but explains after reading my court documents that she feels the LSBME is wanting me to take what amounts to a midwifery skills exam, not fitness for duty exam. However, she offers to contact Ms. Spooner to clarify and lo and behold changes her tune. After speaking with Ms. Spooner, she decided I needed a comprehensive exam with all the bells and whistles (of course she could not tell me exactly what I needed, but it was now going to cost $5,000). If I had a dollar for every time I experienced corruption in Louisiana….

11/20/2017 JM, I have not received the information regarding your fees from accounting. I asked about the cost and they are working on it. An estimation of $6,000 was provided verbally. This is the contact information for the facility:

Jessica Brook, DPT
Program Coordinator:  
Evaluation Center, National Call Center, and Transportation Departments
Direct Line: 601-288-4928
Phone: 601-288-4781 | Fax: 601-288-4773| 
Pine Grove Website ; Facebook ; Twitter ; Blog
1 Lincoln Pkwy Suite 200, Hattiesburg, MS 39402

When you call to make the appointment, please inform Ms. Brook that you need an evaluation for LSBME and they will know what type of evaluation you need. I have emailed Ms. Brook so she is awaiting your call.  I will be away from my desk most of the day but I will check my emails several times today and tomorrow.  Please let me know if you need anything else. 
Also, you would also need to complete a reinstatement application if you want to complete the process. ES

Still Waiting for the Total and Why I Need a Mental Evaluation…

jmacmidwife

11/17/2017 ES, Can you give me a timeline on how long it will take to calculate the amt owed to Lsbme? And how long it will take you to send me a list of physicians?  It’s been over two years since the decision. Why wasn’t this tabulated during those two years? This should have been done and it’s now costing me more time waiting…
Likewise can you please send over whatever requirements you have for me to be in compliance with my order. I need a list of physicians I have to use and diagnosis of what they are looking for. 
I look forward to receiving these items shortly. Thank you. JM

*CRICKETS

Still Waiting on my Total and need to know what the mental evaluation is for….

jmacmidwife

11/15/2017 ES, Hi Can you please tell me where the $300 fee came from and how do I take care of that? Was it incorrectly reported? Sorry to keep asking but I’m trying to get a job and need this clarified. Thank you, JM

Again. If it is not obvious why I need this total, I state my reasons. This is the beginning of my Constitutional rights being violated further. I cannot work. The LSBME knows this, yet does nothing. How is this in the spirit of the law? If I truly needed to be rehabilitated, it should be attainable. This would never have happened to a physician especially when no one was hurt and no one was injured and there was no malice or intent to harm. This was a true witchhunt. Oh and notice below that Ms. Spooner (ES) replies to tell me that even if I pay the fees, my background check will still come back adversarial until I fulfill all the requirements. 

 11/15/2017 JM, According to your Order, the $300 is a Board imposed fine. I have not received the cost of proceeding amount. Please note that once you pay the imposed fees, it will not be reported until you have fully complied with the terms of your Order. Thanks, ES

11/15/2017 ES, Noted and understood. Can you go ahead and send over the list of physicians I can choose from to have my psych and physical exams. 
Also can you tell me how I go about pre approving these doctors with the board. As my order states I need to pre approve everything. Can I send a letter to get these items pre approved?
I still need to know what the psych and physical evaluation are looking for. I need a diagnosis. Thanks. JM

 *CRICKETS

Waiting for the LSBME to add up my fees, fines, and administrative court costs

jmacmidwife

11/14/2017 Ms. Spooner (ES). Just wondering if you had an amount yet? Thanks, JM
11/14/2017 JM, I spoke with the administrative staff person that mails the notices and she will forward the information to us once she has determined the total amount owed. Thanks, ES

I drag out my Board Order and I begin to imagine how to tackle the requirements. For the mental/physical exam, I began cold-calling some local psychologists only to find out that I needed to know exactly what I was being tested for because like most fields, psychology casts a wide net. Were they looking for depression, bipolar, narcissistic disorder? Every psychologist said I had to find out more information in order to have the right evaluation conducted by the right person. I didn’t have any mental health issues, nor was I taking any medications. Now, I understand that does not mean that someone does not have any issues, but there was absolutely no indication for the need for a mental/physical exam in my case. They were just doing this to further harass, intimidate, and burden me. 

In addition to calling psychologists, I emailed some:

11/6/2017 The following message has been sent on your behalf: You have a new appointment request from the online form at: Azure health. 
Message:
Hi. I need a court-ordered psych evaluation done. .Is that something I can do at the Kennesaw office? I dont have a pref of doctor, just asap. Thanks. JM

11/14/2017 ES, In my adjudication. I was ordered to have a psych evaluation. As physicians, the medical board surely understands that One cannot simply request a psych evaluation without a reason for having it conducted. Since a reason was not included in the order I am unable to compete this step.  Can you please let me know what exactly the psychological evaluation is for?  If you can forward this to whomever can answer that I’d appreciate it. Thank you, JM

11/14/2017 JM,
We have a list of approved providers that complete the evaluations for the Board. I will send you a complete introduction packet on what needs to be completed for you to be eligible for reinstatement once I receive the financial information to include. Thanks, ES

11/14/2017 ES, Great. Thank you. JM

*Side note, as of 12/9/2018 I have yet to receive this introduction packet. 

11/14/2017 Ok. Do you have any idea how long this Will take? JM

*CRICKETS

Keep in mind this was a 3-hr administrative hearing in the LSBME boardroom. They chose the Dept. head of LSU OB/GYN and had a court reporter. They also paid for the pathologist, nephrologist, and urologist to eat lunch that was catered in to the boardroom. They copied about 300 pages of frivolous and mostly blank medical records so that it looked like they had mountains of evidence against me. Otherwise, it was no frills. There is no reason that it was taking 2.5 years plus to tally an amount due. This should have been done already. 

First Contact with LSBME after Suspension of Midwifery License

jmacmidwife

Before my grandmother passed in early October 2017, I had the opportunity to work with a fantastic midwife who respected my constantly-changing schedule, which was dependent upon how my grandma was feeling and my mother’s personal plans. I had the best of both worlds being able to care for my grandma until her death and still maintain my midwifery skills as well as learn new ones. Within a week of my grandmother passing, I began looking for a full-time job mainly to help me afford health insurance since in July 2017 I had been ‘diagnosed’ with thyroid cancer. The health insurance I had been on since July was COBRA and I could not afford the $700 a month for much longer without steady income. A genetic screen had revealed a 63% chance of cancer with my atypical cells. Basically, I needed to either have the cancer monitored or removed, neither of which I could do without steady health insurance, since I would be on medication everyday for the rest of my life. Just to make matters worse, I was living in a state lacking Medicaid expansion. 

FInding the probable cancer began with an ultrasound of the nodules, then fine needle aspiration, and finally genetic testing.

I have no problem working. In fact, I enjoy working. Scouring the job sites as best as one can who is over 40 years old and has not been working a full-time job outside the home for the last 15 years could. Quickly, I located a newborn hearing screener position that seemed like a perfect fit based on my most recent midwifery skill set. It was not full-time but had the potential to grow into a stable, livable income. I jumped through the interview process with ease and began onboarding. I paid out-of-pocket for the mandatory Flu vaccine and Tb test. I had the comprehensive drug screen completed, which came back clean (not surprisingly since I do not use drugs.)

However, my background check revealed the midwifery license suspension and no amount of explanation was good enough for the HR department. They rescinded their offer. Had I know this suspension would come up on a back ground check for an hourly PRN entry-level job that did not require a license in anything, I would have disclosed this fact.  But since no one asked and it was not on the application, I did not think it was relevant to this position. I was not trying to hide anything. 

Not wanting to experience having another job offer rescinded, I called and emailed the Louisiana Board of Medical Examiners (LSBME) to figure out how to pay the $300 fine, which I naively thought was preventing me from getting a job–not the fact that I had a suspended license. My first email on 11/13/2017 read as follows….

My midwifery license has been suspended since April 2015. I’ve been trying to get a job and a background report says I owe $300. I’ve never received a bill from lsbme. Can you tell me how to resolve this? Can I pay over the phone? Are there any more fines? I’ll need a receipt or something that says it’s resolved. Thanks for your assistance.  

The LSBME assigned me to a compliance officer to help me navigate this nightmare. How nice of them, right? Uhhh, no, she, Esparonzia Spooner, has been nothing short of a barrier to my getting off suspension, but I’ll get to that as I navigate the year. Ms. Spooner’s first email reply to me was nothing short of intriguing. It had been two and a half years after my hearing–why did the LSBME not have the total costs already calculated? Also, who has $18,000 sitting in a bank account, especially a person who does not have the ability to get a job? And finally, why does it matter what type of job I was applying for? Is this relevant at all?

11/13/2017 I received your message but I was waiting to receive the cost of the proceedings before I returned your call. All payments can be made with a check or money order. What type of job did you apply for and what type of background report states that you owe $300? 

Thanks,
Esparonzia “Ronnie” Spooner, MBA 
Program Compliance Officer
Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners
630 Camp Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 568-6820 x 231 (phone); (504) 568-5754 (fax)
http://www.lsbme.la.gov

11/13/17 Ms. Spooner. Thank you for the quick reply. Ahh yes. Pls let me know what those are as well. So y’all don’t take credit cards? 
It was a part time hourly position. Nonclinical. It stated $300 was what I owed lsbme. Even though I’ve never received a bill. 
I look forward to further communication regarding the fees and how to resolve them. Thanks. JM

11/13/17 JM, We cannot accept credit card payments for fees at this time. I apologize for the inconvenience. 
Thanks,
Esparonzia “Ronnie” Spooner, MBA