Enfield-Based Doctor Fined For Failing To Diagnose Cancer Patient

ENFIELD, CT — An Enfield-based doctor with more than 20 years' experience was fined $5,000 by the Connecticut Medical Examining Board at its monthly meeting Tuesday, after he failed to diagnose cancer in a longtime patient who subsequently died as a result of the disease.

In addition to the fine, Dr. Noah Starkey of Starling Physicians, who also serves as Medical Director for Starling’s Medical Aesthetics of Enfield, was also ordered by the board to have his medical license placed on probation for a year. He will also be required to complete courses in blood cancer treatment.

According to Department of Public Health documents, Starkey had been the patient's doctor for a 7-year period beginning in 2010. He failed to adequately document the patient's urine toxicology screens, failed to diagnose a form of blood cancer, and failed to document his attempts to diagnose the patient.

Starkey, a University of Connecticut School of Medicine graduate, joined the former CT Multispecialty Group in 2003, first as a hospitalist at Hartford Hospital and transitioned to primary care in 2009, according to his biography on the Starling Physicians website.

He is a clinical instructor at the UConn medical school. He is also on the medical staff at both Hartford Hospital and Johnson Memorial Medical Center in Stafford.