A Soldotna orthopedic surgeon's medical license has been temporarily suspended, effective July 1, after he admitted to improper sexual advances toward at least two female patients.
Dr. Herbert Ortiz Bote is the owner of Sports Med Alaska, which has offices in Kenai and Soldotna.
The consent agreement, signed by the president of the Alaska State Medical Board on May 5, details instances in which Bote "engaged in unsolicited and unwelcome physical contact with female patients."
One instance included in the report involves a patient who saw Bote on Jan. 5, 2015. The doctor asked her "to phone if she engaged in masturbation after the appointment," according to the document.
Through text messages, the doctor asked another patient on a dinner date and inquired about her personal life, according to the agreement.
The doctor was also accused of cupping the breast of a female patient during a shoulder examination and touching the inner thigh of another woman after performing knee surgery on her. Bote denied those allegations. He admitted to kissing a patient's hand after knee surgery, the agreement states.
A call to Bote's medical office in Soldotna was not returned Wednesday.
Bote formerly practiced in Massachusetts, where he remains licensed to practice medicine. He first received his Alaska medical license in June 2014, licensing records show.
His biography says he was born in the Philippines and raised in Chicago. He trained at Loyola University of Chicago before completing a fellowship in knee, shoulder and sports medicine in Utah. He has served as a volunteer physician for the U.S. Ski Team, according to the biography.
The agreement requires Bote's license be suspended for 90 days starting in July, followed by a probation period of three years. While under probation, the doctor will be required to have a third-party chaperone present while "consulting, examining or treating female patients."
Bote must also attend 40 hours of continuing education classes "dealing with subject matter related to patient boundaries, patient-physician relationships, and ethics."