Iowa Doctor’s Case Begs the Question: Does a Physician Cross the Line by Hitting on a Patient Through Facebook?

The case of Iowa doctor Joshwa Tromblee shows how quickly a promising medical career can crash and burn when a physician loses sight of boundaries. Yet, in a field where patients share intimate details of their lives, there are countless cases where boundaries are blurred.

If you are a medical provider who is ever accused of engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a patient, contact the LLF National Law Firm Professional License Defense Team online or call us at 888-535-3686 right away. A proactive license defense may be the only difference between severe sanctions and a far more favorable resolution.

A Professional Relationship Quickly Turns Into Social-Media Flirtation

By all accounts, the doctor-patient relationship between Dr. Tromblee and the patient in question began as doctor-patient relationships typically do. The patient arrived for an appointment at Tromblee’s Centerville, Iowa, medical facility in September 2021.

After two more visits in August 2022 and April 2023, the patient seemingly sparked a more personal relationship with the doctor. A Facebook friend request sent by the patient to Tromblee led to consistent messaging via that platform and Snapchat, and eventually to the parties exchanging explicit photographs and messages.

It’s unclear how Tromblee’s employer discovered the relationship, which included Tromblee sending the patient money, but the employer eventually reviewed and frowned upon the exchanges between the desirous doctor and patient.

The Question: Are Consensual, Non-Professional Doctor-Patient Relationships Sanctionable?

Decision makers for Dr. Tromblee’s employer, MercyOne’s Centerville Medical Center, determined that the doctor had leapt over the boundary from a kosher professional relationship into an inappropriate doctor-patient entanglement.

While there are many cases in which doctors are accused of initiating unprofessional contact with a patient who has no romantic interest in the doctor, Tromblee’s case appears distinct from those. Based on the news stories, the patient both initiated the Facebook friend request and participated willingly in the exchange of explicit messages.

This shows that a regulatory board can view a romantic or flirtatious relationship between a doctor and patient as inappropriate, even if that relationship is consensual. Dr. Tromblee was eventually accused of sexual misconduct by the Iowa Board of Medicine, and his license was suspended indefinitely.

Accused of Wrongdoing by Your Medical Board? There’s Only One Correct Move to Make.

Many medical professionals do not fully understand the medical board’s rules until it’s too late. We can’t speak for Dr. Tromblee, but he may have assumed that, because the patient seemingly initiated the extra-professional relationship, he was within his rights to pursue that patient romantically. Such misunderstandings are one of the many potential causes of license issues that can lead to severe discipline like the kind Dr. Tromblee ultimately faced.

Even when medical professionals knowingly violate a medical board’s rules, they are only human. Mistakes happen, and our firm fights to ensure hard-earned, noble careers are not taken away from doctors because of a judgment lapse or ignorance of a rule.

If you are a doctor facing any potential professional discipline, you should contact the LLF National Law Firm online or call our Professional License Defense Team today at 888-535-3686 to learn how we can help.