A Needham acupuncturist, Qunhao Zhang, failed to appear in court Sept. 16 following his arrest on a charge of indecent assault and battery. Needham Police arrested the 56-year-old Zhang Sept.13 at his home on Parkinson Street after an investigation of a complaint by a client of Boston Acupuncture Center at 1410 Highland Ave. Zhang posted $2,500 bail and had been scheduled for arraignment in Dedham District Court Sept.16. There is a warrant out for his arrest and Needham Police said the case remains under investigation.
This is the second time Zhang has been criminally charged with indecent assault and battery. In 2018 a client reported a complaint with Boston Police which resulted in two charges. According to a consent order by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine – which is responsible for licensing, regulation and discipline of Massachusetts physicians and acupuncturists – Zhang admitted to sufficient facts in the case, tendered a plea, and was placed on probation for two years. He signed a voluntary agreement not to practice. In 2021, when his probation was completed, the charges were dismissed.
At the time of the current incident, Zhang’s business was operating without a license, which had been revoked in 2022, prompting conversations both locally and nationally about policy changes for the oversight of medical practices.
In a proceeding in 2022, the board’s committee on acupuncture found that Zhang’s website contained “false, deceptive and misleading information” and that he violated numerous provisions of state law, “including but not limited to gross misconduct in the practice of acupuncture and practicing acupuncture fraudulently.” The board revoked his license retroactive to Dec.12, 2018. But Zhang apparently continued to operate his business, and his website remains active.
The state board does not notify localities when a medical license is revoked. The case has prompted Needham’s Director of Health and Human Services Tim McDonald to begin verifying licenses.
“You’d sort of think if they were taking away someone’s license that they would actively notify the community in which he was operating. But they don’t do that,” said McDonald. “So I will ask if they can do that. And then we will make it part of our policy, or revise our policies to say, if someone gives you a license number, we have to take the time and to call up a state agency and say, is this still a valid license number?”
McDonald said his division is responsible for matters that have public health impacts, so the only involvement they have had with Zhang involved the permitting process for his acupuncture needles, or sharps, and their proper disposal. He said they inspect Boston Acupuncture every year, most recently last December.
“When we did the inspection there wasn’t anything we noticed out of the ordinary,” said McDonald. “He uploaded a valid license number from the state with his medical registration. But … we didn’t know that it had been revoked.”
When Dr. Amy Mager, who practices at Wellness House Northampton, learned of the incident, she contacted the organization that issues board certification for acupuncturists, The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. “They held an emergency meeting and immediately revoked his national certification.”
Mager, who advocates for best practices at the state and national level, said this situation brings to light the lack of oversight of individuals practicing any form of medicine illegally. “There is no watchdog group to assess and hold accountable anyone practicing medicine or acupuncture without a license,” she said.
Michael Taromina, chair of the NCCAOM’s Professional Ethics and Disciplinary Committee, said the committee has created a national, searchable database of all practitioners, which will include licensure and any documented misconduct. His goal is to partner with every state, so a “bad actor” who loses their license in one state can’t move and start over somewhere else.
“States don’t have the resources, the vigilance, the diligence or the time to check,” he said. “If you can’t find a person who’s been disciplined, you’re not protecting the public.”
The Observer made numerous attempts to reach someone at Boston Acupuncture Center for comment. There was no response by phone or at their Highland Avenue office, or at Zhang’s home. Someone answering the phone at Boston Acupuncture Center in Boston, which is listed on the same business website, said they are completely separate operations and had no information about the situation.
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