State board suspends Wichita chiropractor’s license for six weeks

The Kansas Board of Healing Arts is suspending a Wichita chiropractor’s license for six weeks.

John Benjamin Bowers, a chiropractor at Bowers Natural Wellness, 3450 N. Rock Road, Suite 503, will be on suspension from Aug. 1 through Sept. 15 and owes $5,000 in penalties for practicing during a previous license suspension.

Bowers declined to discuss the case.

According to records from the Board of Healing Arts, the board received a complaint in June 2012 alleging patients of the Vanderbilt Cystic Fibrosis Care Center were receiving solicitations from someone directing them to see Bowers, and that Bowers claimed he could get all cystic fibrosis patients off medications.

Based on the complaint, the board sent a certified letter and subpoena for some of Bowers’ patient records in January 2013. Bowers’ front desk receptionist signed for the receipt of the subpoena on Jan. 22, 2013, according to Board of Healing Arts records.

Jacque Anderson, board investigator for Bowers’ case, sent another letter and called multiple times about the subpoena. When Bowers did not respond, or turn over the records, the board suspended his license on April 21, 2014.

He stopped practicing on May 1, 2014, to comply with the suspension. According to board action records, Bowers saw 22 patients while he was suspended between April 21 and May 1, 2014.

On May 6, Bowers turned over the patient records to the board and requested the board lift his suspension. The board then lifted his suspension on May 22.

Because Bowers kept practicing during his suspension, the board last month ordered that Bowers serve another suspension from Aug. 1 through Sept. 15 and pay a $5,000 fine.

Kathleen Selzler Lippert, executive director of the Board of Healing Arts, said it’s hard for the board to know if a doctor practices during suspension.

“We’re not clairvoyant,” she said. “I don’t have a crystal ball.”

She said the board has eight or nine investigators that cover the entire state, so the board often relies on individuals to report doctors who practice while on suspension.

“Since we don’t have a camera in everyone’s office and we’re not Big Brother, we find out the same way police found out someone broke into your car – because you report it,” she said.

The Board of Healing Arts also suspended Bowers in 2007 when he failed to renew his license and continued to practice. After Bowers reinstated his license, the board fined him $1,425.

The Kansas Department of Revenue has two active warrants against Bowers for owed income taxes of $2,904.31 and $50,279.53.

This story was originally published July 7, 2015 at 7:53 AM with the headline "State board suspends Wichita chiropractor’s license for six weeks."