Baldi, doctor acquitted of manslaughter, returning to medicine

A Des Moines physician who was acquitted of manslaughter charges will be allowed to resume the practice of medicine.

Daniel Baldi will have his medical license reinstated, under an agreement with the Iowa Board of Medicine that was released Wednesday. “This settlement has been a final vindication for Dr. Baldi,” said his attorney, Guy Cook.

Baldi, who worked as a pain-medicine specialist, denied any wrongdoing in the overdose deaths of several patients. He was acquitted of nine involuntary-manslaughter charges in 2014. Prosecutors in the unusual case alleged that he had committed crimes by carelessly prescribing painkilling pills to patients who clearly were abusing the drugs. The physician could have faced prison if convicted, but jurors decided he was not to blame.

The state medical board had filed administrative charges against Baldi in 2012, shortly after his Des Moines pain-control clinic was shuttered by the hospital system now known as UnityPoint. The board's charges could have cost Baldi his medical license, but the board put its proceedings on hold while the criminal case was pending. In return, Baldi agreed not to practice medicine for the time being. That agreement remained in effect until the recent settlement was signed between the board and the physician.

Under the settlement, Baldi must undergo retraining, including courses on ethics and record keeping. He has agreed not to treat patients for chronic pain. Although he continues to deny wrongdoing, he also agreed to have his work monitored and to pay a $5,000 fine. Cook said he did that to avoid more costly legal bills.

Cook said Baldi plans to remain in the Des Moines area, where he is in the process of arranging a job in anesthesia, in which he is a board-certified specialist. “He’s anxious to return to the practice of medicine,” the lawyer said.

In recent years, Baldi has spent some of his time helping run the Des Moines Bicycle Collective, which refurbishes old bicycles.

Sheila Brown, who was the jury forewoman in Baldi's criminal trial, said she was pleased to hear Wednesday's news. "I'm glad it's come full circle and he can return to medical practice," she said. "He finally gets to get his life back together. Good for him."

After the verdict, Brown publicly questioned why prosecutors charged Baldi at all. She noted Wednesday that the jurors listened to numerous witnesses and read through reams of medical records. They determined the doctor tried in good faith to help people with complicated problems, often including mental illness, pain and addiction. "He was treating the toughest patients to help, and he was punished for it," she said.