| gospa68@aol.com 2005-04-26, 5:53 pm |
| Posted on Sat, Apr. 23, 200
State fines two doctors $25,000 each for unsubstantiated ads
By Maria M. Perotin
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
Two ophthalmologists at an Arlington eye-care center have been fined
$25,000 apiece for running advertisements that couldn't be
substantiated.
The Texas State Board of Medical Examiners reprimanded David Kleiman
and Anthony Evangelista for ads published in various Dallas-Fort Worth
newspapers.
The ads for the Kleiman-Evangelista Eye Center on Matlock Road
contained statements such as "nearly three out of four patients are
seeing better than 20/20 vision! As for that other one patient, well,
they'll just have to settle for 'perfect.' "
Another ad urged consumers to "trust your eyes to Tarrant County's
leading LASIK surgeons" -- even though the eye center doesn't have data
verifying that its doctors perform the most LASIK surgeries in the
county, according to the board.
The board's rules prohibit ads that are false, deceptive or misleading,
including those containing claims that cannot be substantiated.
Neither Kleiman, 51, nor Evangelista, 39, could be reached for comment
Friday.
Neither doctor has previously been disciplined by the board.
Although the state board has fined several other Texas doctors for
advertising violations in recent years, the ophthalmologists' penalties
were notably more severe.
Other cases include a Brownwood physician who was fined $500 for an ad
that incorrectly implied he was board-certified and an El Paso doctor
who was fined $5,000 for misleading advertising.
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