Jeffrey Piccirillo was yet another ILADS-affiliated doctor with a long record of professional incompetency. A Chicago Tribune investigation detailed how he “had been sued multiple times over allegations of malpractice, personal injury and negligence.”
In 2013, after being charged with professional incompetency, practice harmful to the public, sexual misconduct and unprofessional conduct, Piccirollo’s medical license was suspended in Illinois and placed on probation in Iowa. He is no longer licensed in either state.
Please see the references below for more information about the patient lawsuits and disciplinary actions against Piccirollo.
According to a 2010 article, Piccirillo was trained by former ILADS president Dr. Daniel Cameron, who was also disciplined after various charges of egregious misconduct. In the article, Piccirillo claimed he had about 400 Lyme patients despite the confirmed cases in 2010 being only 135 in Illinois and 68 in Iowa.
According to a 2013 press release from the Iowa Board of Medicine:
Jeffrey L. Piccirillo, D.O., a 50-year-old Iowa-licensed physician who formerly practiced orthopedic surgery in Grinnell, Iowa, and general medicine in Grinnell, Iowa, and Lake in the Hills, Illinois, entered into a Settlement Agreement with the Board on June 28, 2013. On January 28, 2008, the Board charged Dr. Piccirillo with professional incompetency and practice harmful or detrimental to the public in his orthopedic surgery practice.
On February 12, 2009, Dr. Piccirillo entered into a Settlement Agreement with the Board. Dr. Piccirillo was prohibited from practicing surgery, required to complete a Board-approved mental health assessment and placed on indefinite probation subject to Board monitoring. The Board also issued Dr. Piccirillo a Citation and Warning and ordered him to a pay a $5,000 civil penalty.
On September 21, 2012, the Board charged Dr. Piccirillo with engaging in professional incompetency, practice harmful to the public, sexual misconduct and unprofessional conduct. The Board alleged that Dr. Piccirillo failed to provide appropriate care to numerous patients who were diagnosed with Lyme disease and that he engaged in an inappropriate sexual relationship with a female patient.
Under the terms of the June 28, 2013, Settlement Agreement, Dr. Piccirillo is prohibited from treating Lyme disease under this Iowa medical license. The Board also issued Dr. Piccirillo a Citation and Warning and ordered him to pay a $10,000 civil penalty. Dr. Piccirillo shall only practice medicine in a Board-approved practice setting. Prior to seeking approval of a practice setting, Dr. Piccirillo must successfully complete a Board-approved sexual misconduct evaluation, comprehensive clinical competency evaluation and professional ethics program. Dr. Piccirillo was also placed on indefinite probation subject to Board monitoring.
As is typical in a cult, chronic Lyme believers stood by Piccirillo even after he was disciplined. For example, a newsletter produced by “The Lyme Disease Association of Greater Kansas City, Inc” reported on the settlement of allegations of sexual misconduct and inappropriate Lyme diagnoses and treatments. But since facts don’t matter to cult members, the newsletter still claimed Piccirillo “helped many Lyme disease patients and will be greatly missed.”
One woman commented, “My husband (who has lyme) and I as well knew of the previous charges against him, but went to him anyway. In the last 18 months of treatment, my husband’s symptoms have tapered off……..now, we are faced with finding a new LLMD. SAD!!” There are at least five placebo controlled studies indicating that 18 months is about 17 months longer than necessary to cure a real case of Lyme disease.
One wonders whether Piccirillo can be considered both a victim and a perpetrator, because he started treating chronic Lyme patients after being diagnosed with Lyme disease himself.
Quackwatch: Disciplinary Actions against Jeffrey Piccirillo, D.O.
Patch: Former Joliet Doctor Facing Professional, Sexual Misconduct Charges
Chicago Tribune: ‘Lyme-literate’ doctor in Illinois, Iowa faces fresh allegations
Chicago Tribune: Lyme doctor with troubled past offers controversial treatment
Chicago Tribune: Chronic Lyme disease: A dubious diagnosis
Skeptic Ink: The Dirtiest Dozen Ducktors of 2013
Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation: Disciplinary record
Iowa Board of Medicine: Disciplinary record
Iowa Board of Medicine: Press releases in 2008, 2009, 2012, and 2013
Iowa Board of Medicine: 2009 settlement and charges
Iowa Board of Medicine: 2013 settlement and charges