NASHVILLE, Tn. (WTVF) — A Tennessee doctor has lost his medical license after a NewsChannel 5 investigation exposed what he was doing during the height of the pandemic.
You probably remember after the Covid vaccine became available, some businesses and schools required Covid shots before you could return to the office or classroom.
But a doctor working with a Hendersonville company offered a way around that requirement to those who didn't want the vaccine.
We're now learning that this landed the doctor in hot water.
Back in 2021, NewsChannel 5 Investigates discovered Dr. Robert Coble's name, Tennessee medical license number, and apparent signature on Covid vaccine waivers being sold online. These waivers gave people wary of the Covid 19 shot a way to get out of having to get one. After these discoveries, we found him on his farm in Giles County.
According to the state Health Department, 76-year-old Coble has agreed to surrender his medical license, rather than having it revoked by the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners.
The Board began its own investigation after NewsChannel 5 Investigates exposed that essentially anyone could get one of these waivers, even a dog.
According to the Medical Board, Coble violated state rules through "unprofessional, dishonorable or unethical conduct" and by "making false statements or representations, being guilty of fraud or deceit in the practice of medicine."
Coble was working in late 2021 for a Hendersonville company calling itself MedChoice. This company was selling what it described as "handwritten medical waivers personally reviewed and signed by a licensed physician.”
But we found that to get one of these waivers, you did not need any sort of contact or prior relationship with that doctor. All you had to do was select from a list of options the reason you didn't want the vaccine.
We selected an option for Charlie, a black labrador retriever, that said he had an irrational fear of needles. We then paid $139 and within days, Charlie received a personalized waiver. It looked like a medical prescription form with a handwritten note.
"Charlie should not receive any Covid vaccine," the note said.
It was signed by Dr. Coble.
We also received a laminated "waiver" card that said Charlie was "certified medically exempt from the Covid vaccination," once again signed by Dr. Coble.
Coble refused to talk with us when we tried to ask about the waivers back in 2021.
But now, more than a year a half later, we know that Coble signed waivers for MedChoice customers not only in Tennessee, but "other states including Maine and Washington," according to the state Medical Board's findings. He was only licensed to practice medicine in Tennessee.
We also learned from a statement from the board that if a waiver was rejected by a customer's HR or school health department, Coble would try to contact the department and reverse their decision.
Now, the same signature on Charlie the dog's Covid waiver is at the bottom of the Consent Order, where Coble has agreed to not only pay a $1,000 fine, but also give up practicing medicine in Tennessee after 47 years.
PREVIOUS RELATED REPORTING ON DR. COBLE AND THE COVID VACCINE WAIVERS:
NC5 investigation raises questions about Covid vaccine waivers being sold online
