NEWS STORY Dec 06, 2009
Another patient of Dr. Parvez Dara, Candace Salgado Plaza, has filed a lawsuit against him after having been diagnosed with hepatitis B. Candace was treated by Dr. Dara in 2008 for breast cancer and lymphoma. Dr. Dara is an oncologist who was licensed as a physician in New Jersey since 1977.
Back in March of 2009, five of Dr. Parvez Dara’s patients were identified to have hepatitis B infection. At that time, the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS) and the Ocean County Health Department (OCHD) notified 2,800 patients to recommend that they be tested for hepatitis B and other viruses such as HIV.
According to the NJDHSS, “Of these 108 individuals, 19 were determined to be acute cases (recent infection) and 10 were found to be chronic (ongoing infection).”
“These 29 cases all had invasive procedures at the practice and no other known risk factors for HBV infection. The other 68 positive cases are considered possible cases; therefore we can only say that they are possibly related to this outbreak.”
In August of 2009, the state expanded its investigation. Notification letters were mailed to an additional 3,200 patients who received medical care at the facility that Dr. Parvez Dara worked at.
In a press release by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in January 2009, “more than 60,000 patients in the United States were asked to get tested for hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) because health care personnel in settings outside hospitals failed to follow basic infection control practices.”
“Reuse of syringes and blood-contamination of medications, equipment and devices were identified as common factors in these outbreaks.”
“More and more patients in the United States receive their health care in outpatient settings,” said Dr. Denise Cardo, director of CDC′s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion. “To protect patients, infection control training, professional oversight, licensing, innovative engineering controls and public awareness are needed in these health care settings.”
Dr. Parvez Dara had his license suspended on April 3, 2009 as he was being investigated.
NEWS STORY Dec 03, 2009
Since we’ve had several cases already that dealt with the inability of doctors to control their sexual urges, we find a recommendation put forth by UK’s Medical Defense Union (MDU) quite interesting.
MDU, a non-profit organization that seeks to “defend the professional reputations of our members when their clinical performance is called into question,” warns physicians that they should not respond to advances by patients on social networking sites–not even to politely say “no.”
Dr. Emma Cuzner, a MDU medico-legal advisor, writes, “The pitfalls posed to doctors using social networking sites by inadvertently breaching confidentiality or posting unprofessional content, such as photos, have been well documented.”
Although doctors may feel rude not to reply, even to just politely refuse, Dr. Cuzner writes that because “this is not a professional route of communication, any correspondence of this sort would clearly stray outside the doctor/patient relationship.”
These recommendations raise some important questions. What should a doctor do if she were to see a patient at the local Starbucks and he asks her if he could buy her a drink? Should the doctor simply turn around and pretend not to hear him? Why would the internet be different?
As we move through an era where access becomes nearly instantaneous and pervasive, these issues will become more and more evident as we continue to struggle with blending advances in communication technology, work ethics, and private social life.
NEWS STORY Dec 02, 2009
An OB/GYN doctor was arrested Tuesday night for possession and distribution of illicit and prescription drugs. We don’t have all the details yet, but we do know that a $160,000 bond has been set.
Dr. Jason Hunt, 40 years old, received his medical license from the state of Alabama in 2008. Charges include possession of methamphetamine and hydrocodone as well as two counts of distributing hydrocodone, alprazolam (Xanax), and phentremine (an appetite suppressant).
According to the hospital spokeswoman where he worked, “Dr. Hunt’s privileges have been suspended pending the investigation of the charges.”
We’ll keep you updated as we learn more…
NEWS STORY Nov 30, 2009
Case Synopsis
Today, a former plastic surgeon was sentenced to three years and eight months in state prison for sexually assaulting two of his patients. Most news sites don’t have the nitty-gritty, but we do. Here are the details:
Background
Dr. Scott Takasugi graduated from the Autonomous University of Guadalajara in 1983 and received his California medical license in September of 1986. He subsequently specialized and received his board certification in plastic surgery. No one seemed to know about his special fetish, however.
Keep reading…
Nov 29, 2009 | 4 Comments
Case Synopsis
Delia
In 2003, Delia went to see Dr. Hershey for a breast augmentation. The consult went well, and the surgery was completed without any complications. The only problem came was when Delia was waking up from the anesthesia and realizing that the doctor was kissing her fully on the mouth. Considering that the kissing part was not mentioned in any release form or during consultation, Delia subsequently sued and won a settlement against Dr. Hershey.
This incident raised the eyebrows of some at the state’s medical board, and more questions were asked. Eventually, it was discovered that this (surprise, surprise!) was not the first time Dr. Hershey had exhibited unprofessional misconduct.
Nov 11, 2009 | 1 Comment
Case Synopsis
If you’re a surgeon performing cosmetic surgery in Southern California, you can make good money—especially if you were featured on Dr. 90210. It can be even better money when you bill both the insurance company AND your patient at the same time. Dr. Harrold, a board-certified OB/GYN, thought this was an excellent idea, but he forgot about one important rule when it comes to these things: don’t get caught.
Ashley
Ashley was a 32 year old actress when she began seeing Dr. Harrold in 1996 because she had pelvic pain along with very painful menstrual periods. According to bills he sent Ashley’s insurance company, Dr. Harrold stated he performed two comprehensive examinations, including obtaining a complete medical, menstrual, and pregnancy history, pap smears, and ultrasound. Oddly, there is no evidence that any of these were done. He also noted that she had anemia although the lab reported no normal blood levels. In his notes, Dr. Harrold wrote that she had no previous surgery when in reality she had knee surgery in the past.
Oct 20, 2009 | No Comments
Case Synopsis
Background
Dr. Green was board-certified in anatomic pathology, and in 1992 established a lab with his wife. His lab was responsible for screening pap smears and other tests for about ten doctors in his area. From 1993 to 1999, he was the medical director of his lab. Dr. Green also worked concurrently as a medical examiner for Klamath County in Oregon performing autopsies.
Back Sliding
At his lab, Dr. Green reviewed many slides for screening pap smears. For some reason or another, suspicions mounted against Dr. Green and his findings. An investigation was launched by the Board of Medical Examiners—initiating an independent review by Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) of 100 consecutive pap smears performed by Dr. Green’s lab. The slides collected were between January to February 1998.
What OHSU found was interesting. Of the 100 slides, 97 were suitable for review. Of the 97 slides, Dr. Green only read two of them as abnormal. These two slides were found to be normal by OHSU. Of the remaining slides that were read as normal by Dr. Green, OHSU disagreed and found 4 of them significantly abnormal.
