Published: November 19, 2009 12:17 pm      

Tennessee suspends Dr. Perry’s license

Patient alleged doctor exchanged sex for drugs

WHITLEY CITY — A Whitley City physician has been suspended from practicing medicine in Tennessee due to allegations of inappropriate contact with female patients.

The Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners announced last Wednesday that Larry E. Perry, MD, was prohibited from practicing in that state effective November 3 for:

• having sex and inappropriate contact with patients;

• prescribing controlled substances to a patient in exchange for a sex act; and

• conduct that is detrimental to the health, safety and welfare of the public.

The announcement was accompanied by an order summarizing the alleged instances prompting the emergency action.

Dr. Perry is accused of exposing himself to one patient and urging her to perform oral sex.

“The patient refused to do so initially, and then offered to do so if Respondent would increase the amount of Xanax that he was prescribing for her,” the order reads. “Respondent agreed to increase the patient’s Xanax dosage from twice a day to three times a day….”

Another patient was allegedly kissed and forced to place her hand on his erect penis.

Dr. Perry is accused of rubbing his genitals against patients’ legs in the examination room “on at least four occasions.”

The allegations are being reviewed by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations, which asks anyone with information to call 1-800-TBI-FIND (1-800-824-3463).

An informal hearing before the Board of Medical Examiners was scheduled in Nashville for November 9 (yesterday) at 4 p.m. Central Time. The board was to determine whether Dr. Perry’s license should stay suspended if he contested the summary suspension.

But The Record has learned that the meeting was canceled late Friday afternoon.

“He has not responded so the summary suspension will stand until the matter can be heard before the full board,” Marsha Arnold, with the TBME Office of General Counsel, said.

Arnold went on to explain that the case could be heard in January at the earliest since the full board meets every other month.

Perry was originally licensed to practice medicine in Tennessee in June 1991. He set up shop in Oneida’s Northtown Plaza until earlier this summer, when he closed that office to join his father, Dr. Hoover A. Perry, and Dr. Nancy K. West at their Whitley City practice.

Dr. Larry E. Perry has been licensed in Kentucky since December 1999. His Kentucky license is listed on the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure’s (KBML) website as active with no board actions against him.

Last Thursday after in inquiry from The Record concerning Dr. Perry’s status with the KBML, Bertha Wallen, open records custodian for the board, initially advised The Record via e-mail that KBML’s legal department had not received any derogatory information against the physician. However, two hours later, The Record received an e-mail stating that the information was exempt from open records disclosure pursuant to KRS 61.878 (1)(L) and (1)(j).

Those clauses involve “preliminary” recommendations and memoranda as well as public information “made confidential by enactment of the General Assembly.”

Efforts to contact Dr. Perry were unsuccessful at press time.