Barrington Doctor’s License Suspended for Third Time - Now, He Is a Lawyer, Too
GoLocalProv News Team and Josh Fenton and Kate Nagle
Barrington Doctor’s License Suspended for Third Time - Now, He Is a Lawyer, Too
This week, RIDOH summarily suspended the medical license of Dr. Joseph Grillo for “his repeated and intentional violations of the express terms of a Consent Order entered and ratified by the Board on March 11, 2020.”
But while Grillo’s medical license has been suspended again, he also has a career pivot and claims he is a graduate of law school in 2021 and passed the bar, according to his website.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTHis medical license suspension came after he allegedly refused to comply with state-mandated testing requirements — those requirements date back to a 2011 arrest.
However, the story is far more complex and raises questions about the disciplinary process.
Grillo successfully petitioned the RIDOH board in 2014 to have his license reinstated; it was suspended again in 2015.
He then once again had his license reinstated in 2020; and now as of Wednesday of this week, Grillo's license is suspended again for his reported failure to comply with the terms set forth by the state.
While he can’t practice medicine, he is marketing himself as an expert on legal medical issues and is marketing himself to the legal community.
According to his bio, he provides “medical-legal consulting for personal injury and medical malpractice who require the assistance of a medical doctor with legal training" and much more, according to his business’ website.
On his website, he claims to have graduate graduated from law school and to have passed the bar. “As of April 30th, Dr. Grillo graduated from The University of Massachusetts School of Law. As of April 2021, Dr. Grillo passed the bar exam,” it states.
He is not listed in the database of the Bar Association of Rhode Island or Massachusetts. Grillo said he is an unlicensed attorney.
Travels of Grillo’s Medical License History
According to RIDOH, on February 12, 2007, the Board placed Grilo on probation for a five-year period while he was in treatment with the Physician Health Program of the Rhode Island Medical Society.
“On February 11, 2011, prior to the completion of probation, Grillo was charged with: operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, leaving the scene of an accident, not possessing a vehicle registration, and breaking and entering a building, with destruction of property; on February 22, 2011, the Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health summarily suspended his medical license and controlled substance registration,” stated RIDOH.
RIDOH stated that Grillo had pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and was fined and ordered to pay restitution for the damage caused from the automobile accident.
“In 2013, Respondent requested to be reinstated to practice medicine in Rhode Island. After producing evidence of remission, on January 8, 2014, Respondent's license was reinstated pursuant to a Consent Order ratified by the Board, which set forth a number of conditions, including a requirement that he follow the testing and monitoring requirements of the RI-PHP,” states RIDOH. “On October 13, 2015, Respondent surrendered his license due to his failure to comply with the terms of the January 8, 2014 Consent Order.”
Grillo then petitioned the board to get his license back in 2020.
“Respondent approached the Board in 2020 to request that his medical license be reinstated due to his compliance with the RI-PHP recommendations and program,” said RIDOH. “Respondent produced evidence of remediation and continuous treatment for his underlying substance use disorder conditions. Respondent produced a forensic psychiatry evaluation determining that he was fit to return to the practice of medicine. He also engaged a monitoring program to verify and maintain his clinical recovery.”
At that time, RIDOH reinstated his license for a probationary period of 10 years.
“The Board determined that Respondent provided satisfactory evidence of clinical competence by continuing to maintain Board certification with the American Board of Internal Medicine and also by providing evidence that he successfully completed a significant number of continuing medical education (CME) credits,” said RIDOH.
This year, Grillo reportedly failed the terms of his probation once again, according to RIDOH.
“On June 17, 2024, RI-PHP received notification from Sober Link of a positive breathalyzer test result from a test conducted on June 13. Because more than 72 hours had elapsed, rendering confirmatory urine testing inappropriate, a Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) test was scheduled for June 20 and then later changed to June 24. Respondent did not appear for the test on June 24,” stated RIDOH.
“The PEth test was then self-administered by the Respondent on July 2 or 3, 2024 at Respondent's home. However, Recovery Trek (the testing laboratory) informed RI-PHP that the video recording of the scheduled in-home test showed that the test was invalidated because Respondent stepped away from the smartphone camera and also because filled the collection tube using a non-approved method (capillary blood instead of whole blood). In order to redress the invalidated test results, RI-PHP instructed responded to appear for a fingernail test on July 9, 2024 at a collection lab located in North Providence,” said RIDOH. “Respondent was required to appear for the test on either July 19 or any business day during the week of July 22.”
“Despite the clear instructions provided by RI-PHP, Respondent refused to appear for the fingernail test,” RIDOH continued.
“In addition to the noncompliance with the RI-PHP requests, Respondent also missed numerous breathalyzer tests scheduled in June and July of 2024, including various times on June 20, 24, and July 1, 8, 9, 26, 27 and 31,” said RIDOH. “Respondent was also late in performing breathalyzer tests scheduled at various times on June 14 and 26, and July 3, 13, 15, 16, 20, 22, 23.”
“In total, during the months of June and July 2024, Respondent missed 9 scheduled breathalyzer tests and was late in performing 16 additional breathalyzer tests,” said RIDOH. “As a result of Respondent's non-compliance with the express requirements of the RI-PHP monitoring program, the RI Physician Health Committee met on August 6, 2024, and unanimously voted to terminate Respondent's monitoring agreement and participation in the RI-PHP program.”
Grillo’s license was suspended; he is now allowed an admininstative hearing on the order pursuant to Rhode Island General Law.
Grillo Responds
Grillo told GoLocal in a phone interview that the RIDOH has been unfair and its testing requirements are flawed.
“I am appealing [the suspension],” said Grillo.
He claims that he continues to be sober, that the Department of Health is being unfair, and that the testing protocols are unreasonable.
"So I had a hard time getting sober early on. No question about it, but I did, you know. I did. I went to law school. I regained my medical license and since then things have been going great," said Grillo.
In an email forwarded to GoLocal, Grillo wrote to RIDOH, "I haven't read through all of the suspension document - mostly because today was occupied in tending to other pressing matters, but what I did read was a mixture of accurate information with overt misinformation."
Grillo forwarded a series of emails he says he had sent to RIDOH disagreeing with its testing protocols. In one email, he wrote, "None of the errors made were not mine. Even the false positive test had nothing to do with me. Yet, I did what was asked. I received threats that were inappropriate. This situation has been a source of significant emotional distress, has lasted for six weeks, and there is seemingly no end in sight."