The Honolulu Civil Beat
Longtime Online Journal Lost Standard of Journalism
A male acupuncture practitioner falsely alleged professional misconduct by a stalking act of a female patient in 2016. According to the national survey, about 12 % of false accusations toward medical professionals occur yearly.
The Honolulu Police Department has disregarded the case for the fictitious allegation. It referred to the state-regulated industry complaints office (RICO) for settlement, which took three years due to short staff for investigation, which is understandable because the practitioner used to serve as a member of the advisory committee for the state Board; only limited investigators manage regular and false complaints towards licensed professionals. Usually, 60 to 80 cases are constantly backlogged.
The practitioner requested a polygraph test twice, but the RICO said they trusted his protest. The practitioner intends to file lawsuits against the patient for the false allegation, but the RICO noted it has a statute of limitation.
The RICO closed the case in July 2019 without evidence confirming the allegation.
According to the RICO, there is no protection for a practitioner but a claimer. Regardless, the patient with histrionic or borderline personality, persecution mania, is mentally unstable, paranoid, or just a pathological liar.
The practitioner’s clinical record revealed that the patient did not show the regular appointment six times without a call or any notice in the past. Still, the practitioner did not disengage the patient because he knew the patient’s parents.
The practitioner preferred not to disclose the psychological behavior of the patient due to the duty of confidentiality. Still, after reviewing the absurd details of the claim, the practitioner cannot accept threatening his integrity by a false allegation. It is hard to believe the patient created such a deceitful story.
Moreover, the practitioner has a history of cardiac issues, which caused his fifth cardiac arrest by the stress after a false accusation that the heart surgeon ordered the practitioner not even serve jury duty which he was to schedule.
If there are no consequences, the false accusation will ruin innocent practitioners’ lives and lead to hostility or distrust in the patient relationship.
According to the Deputy Attorney General's opinion for the Board of acupuncture, complaints related to the acupuncture practice are the least number of cases. No incompetency claims were received or reported by the RICO. The statistics revealed that acupuncturists' ethics level is very high; the Executive Officer of the Board stated.
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The Hawaii State Regulated Industry Complaints Office – DCCA/RICO
On 3/12/2019, the practitioner received a phone call from Mr. John Hill, who claimed he had all the RICO documents and an investigation for an interview.
The practitioner believed that he was an investigator from the RICO when Mr. Hill visited the practitioner’s office without showing the state investigator ID or business card, scribbling his name, phone number, and e-mail address on the back of the practitioner’s business card.
John Hill
The information on the Honolulu Civil Beat shows that Mr. John Hill was the editor and investigator; it was surprising that they even impersonated state investigators and used cunning tactics to collect information.
The practitioner asked Mr. Hill how he found information on the case since he is not a state investigator. He replied that a person who made a false allegation to the practitioner requested. The practitioner traced the Honolulu Civil Beat activity, an online journal that seeks governmental authorities' dysfunction and society's scandals. Delay and the slow process of the state department RICO were prompt bait for their mission.
Mr. Hill asked a few questions, took photographs without permission, and fled the practitioner's office.
The practitioner told Mr. Hill to disclose the contents to him before reporting online and not display the practitioner's photo since the case was still under investigation by the RICO. Still, Mr. Hill ignored the advice, which is an infringement of an image right.
At the same time, the practitioner considers his health. Cutting back into practice would shift to the education area, where he has been giving an international seminar to acupuncture students and a clinical workshop with Hawaii licensees since 2014.
The ill-intention and schematically intriguing article by the Honolulu Civil Beat on the internet resulted in the reduction of patients and the cancellation of two international seminars that should cause punitive damage and counterfeit business disruption.
Recently, the practitioner’s colleague notified him that the article and photos were still under the practitioner's name on the internet. The practitioner visited the Honolulu Civil Beat's office in Waialae avenue on 11/16/2021 to find out why the article had been on the internet for the past two years under the practitioner’s name. However, Mr. John Hill replied that he does not recall the article or even remember the consequences of the case.
While the practitioner was talking, Mr. Hill acted and suddenly screamed, "Don't touch me!" prompting agitation and evading the practitioner’s question. The practitioner was stunned by Mr. Hill’s performance, then one of the young male staff drew close to him with a defensive attitude and said, “What is the problem!”
Mr. Hill creates a scene to impress surrounding office workers that visitors tend to be violent and is a cowardly act. They are the one who uses violence with a writing instrument to stab a person in the back. Mr. Hill also had the Conversation program hosted by Catherine Cruz of Hawaii Public Radio with untrue comments.
The practitioner realized they must have had a similar experience in the past because the Honolulu Civil Beat office has a double security camera at the office entrance to survey visitors.
The practitioner sent a certified letter, and two e-mails to contact Mr. John Hill were ignored.
The practitioner searched the Honolulu Civil Beat background and found the name of the false accuser was in the list of donors and supporters.
The Honolulu Civil Beat accepts that a sum to insult and defame a person is shameful, even in desperate journalism. Editors should not be the curators of its corruption.
Anyone contacted by the Honolulu Civil Beat should reconsider their request for an interview or answer for ongoing details; it is unfortunate to find the true colors of the journal with arrogance and untrustworthiness.
The Coalition of Healthcare Practitioners’ Rights
The Fact Statement, 4/23/22