Reporters also matched the state's list of registered nurses against the federal government's database of health providers banned from Medicare. It found four examples of banned nurses that the board has never disciplined, one of whom was found guilty of patient abuse or neglect.
Parungao, who now is in federal prison, is not listed in the database as being barred from Medicare. But her case is listed on the Internal Revenue Service website as one of its significant healthcare fraud prosecutions of 2007.
Her lawyer, Donald Etra, said there's a distinction between "financial impropriety and medical competence."
"There is no question that Ms. Parungao was a terrific nurse and there was never any question that she was competent and gave great care to the patients entrusted to her," Etra said. "That's what the board should focus on."
Sometimes the board doesn't act upon convictions in California until another state does.
In May 1989, Michael Jay Lutzow was convicted of committing a lewd act on a child in San Diego. Six years later, the California board issued him a nursing license.
In September 2006, Arizona's nursing board rejected Lutzow's application for a license based on his California conviction and other factors.
Nearly a year later, California filed an accusation against Lutzow, citing the Arizona denial.
He did not return calls seeking comment.
In April, the board put him on three years' probation. One of the standard conditions: He must practice as a nurse in California.
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tracy.weber@propublica.org
charles.ornstein@ propublica.org
Researcher Maloy Moore also contributed to this report.
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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)
Nursing oversight
A Times analysis identified 118 California registered nurses who had three or more criminal convictions before the nursing board sought to pull or restrict their licenses. They had committed these crimes:
Number of criminal convictions
DUI/reckless driving*: 183
Drug/alcohol offenses: 96
Burglary/theft: 94
Minor motor vehicle offenses**: 47
Assault/battery: 43
Other: 94
* Includes one vehicular manslaughter and four hit-and-run convictions.
** E.g., driving with a suspended license
Source: Board of Registered Nursing Data analysis by Charles Ornstein and Maloy Moore
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Tell us your experiences
Tracy Weber and Charles Ornstein are investigating nurses and nursing regulation in California. If you submit a comment via e-mail, the reporters may contact you. You may also contact them by phone at (212) 514-5250.
ProPublica is an independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. More stories by the organization can be found at ProPublica.org.
