Arizona doctor sues OU medical school

COLUMBUS (AP) — An Arizona doctor who studied at Ohio University’s medical school is suing the university over its practice of fining some former students who don’t practice in Ohio after they graduate.

The lawsuit, filed by Dr. Bruce Roth in federal court in Columbus, said the university’s College of Osteopathic Medicine has illegally penalized him with the fines and has violated his constitutional rights to conduct interstate commerce. He’s seeking reimbursement.

Roth, an anesthesiologist near Phoenix, was born and raised in Ohio but was treated as an out-of-state student because he earned his undergraduate degree at the University of California, Irvine.

The medical school has out-of-state students sign agreements promising to practice in the state for five years. Roth worked at the Cleveland Clinic for four years after earning his medical degree in 1997, but then moved to Arizona after getting married.

The contracts for out-of-state students have existed since Ohio lawmakers created the medical college in 1975, said Dr. Jack Brose, the college’s dean.

Because tuition covers only about half the cost of a typical student’s education — with the state subsidizing the rest — legislators wanted to ensure that Ohio taxpayers got some sort of return on their investment, he said. About 62 percent of doctors who graduate from the school remain in Ohio.

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