[Kaiser Permanente had no intention of suspending this murdering doctor, and did so only because CMS rejected Kaiser's initial plan of correction (pdf).]
From the LA Times:
Kaiser suspends accused doctor
Co-workers questioned the competency of Hamid Safari, who handled high-risk pregnancies at a Fresno hospital.
By Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
Kaiser Permanente has suspended a physician who handled high-risk pregnancies at its Fresno hospital, more than four months after the Los Angeles Times reported that doctors and nurses there had repeatedly questioned his competence.
In a statement released late Friday, interim hospital Administrator Linda Monte said that, effective immediately, perinatologist Hamid Safari would not be able to provide care to any Kaiser member in a hospital or outpatient setting.
“Kaiser Permanente is committed to ensuring the safety of our patients, and we take this obligation to our members and patients seriously,” Monte said in the statement.
Safari allegedly botched at least two deliveries after staff members began raising concerns about his skills and demeanor, The Times reported in October. One baby died in the delivery room in April 2005; another died months after her January 2004 birth. Safari has been accused of gross negligence by the Medical Board of California.
His attorney, Stephen D. Schear, has said his client did nothing wrong. Neither Safari nor Schear could be reached Friday.
In January, federal inspectors criticized the way Kaiser responded to complaints about Safari and said that had the hospital kept a closer watch over its medical staff, the two babies might still be alive.
Days later, the hospital’s administrator stepped down.
In July 2005, three months after the second baby’s death, Kaiser imposed restrictions on Safari, barring him from performing vaginal deliveries and requiring him to be monitored by another physician or advanced-practice nurse. The restrictions became permanent last April, hospital officials said.
Since September, Safari has not performed any surgeries or caesarean sections and has served as a consultant at the hospital, they said.
Monte said the hospital decided it had to take further action “after detailed and comprehensive quality reviews during the last year.” It also was cooperating with the medical board’s investigation of Safari, she said.
Safari has the ability to appeal any discipline against him, and that process can take months. Monte said state law prevented her from “discussing publicly any peer review matters or inquiry into Dr. Safari’s quality of care.”
Kaiser still faces a lawsuit by two doctors who contend they were punished after raising concerns about Safari’s work.
Kaiser Thrive Exposed would like to personally thank Dr. Geoff Galbraith - Kaiser Permanente Care Management Institute board member; and Vice President, Hawaii Permanente Medical Group, Quality Improvement Management - for inspiring us to create this website. Did we make it into the top 5?
Well good golly, what took so long. Oh yeah, forgot, they only do the right thing when there is no other possible alternative because they are backed into a corner…when the negligence becomes SO obvious and out into public awareness then they jump in and proclaim “Kaiser Permanente is committed to ensuring the safety of our patients, and we take this obligation to our members and patients seriously.” But behind closed doors, we all know what they are up to…NO GOOD.
“His attorney, Stephen D. Schear, has said his client did nothing wrong.”
If committing murder, not only once, but twice, is “doing nothing wrong” then I don’t even want to be around to see what “wrong” looks like.
They are a bunch of murdering fools. Speaking of murder, it was 2 years ago today, exactly, that my Baby was murdered at kaiser.
Oh, but let us all remember…”"Kaiser Permanente is committed to ensuring the safety of our patients.”
The LA Times reported that the Medical Board of California dismissed accusations against Dr. Safari.
“After a vigorous debate among experts, the state medical board this week dismissed accusations of negligence against a perinatologist at Kaiser Permanente’s Fresno Medical Center who was involved in two tragic deliveries.
The Times published a front-page story about the cases in October 2007, reporting that doctors and nurses had complained repeatedly to higher-ups about Safari’s medical and interpersonal skills before the deliveries, according to internal documents, a lawsuit and interviews. Federal health inspectors subsequently faulted Kaiser Fresno’s medical oversight.
In the medical board case, however, “the evidence established that the respondent complied with applicable standards of care,” wrote Cheryl R. Tompkin, the administrative law judge who heard the case and recommended dismissal to the board.
The case pitted two sets of medical experts against each other in a debate over what precisely constituted the standard of care in complex deliveries.
In her written opinion, Tompkin said Safari could have kept better records establishing the patients’ understanding of medical risks, but she did not see “any cause for discipline of the respondent’s license.” The board, which has final say on the discipline of doctors, adopted the verdict Tuesday.
Safari, who has been suspended from treating Kaiser patients for the last year, was relieved and gratified by the ruling, said his lawyer Stephen Schear.
“This is a complete vindication of Dr. Safari by a neutral, unbiased judge,” Schear said. “I’m extremely happy to see justice really working.”
The allegations have given rise to conflicting responses. Last January, federal health inspectors found that if the hospital had acted on complaints and kept a closer watch over its medical staff, the two babies might still be alive.
Although the Kaiser hospital suspended Safari from caring for patients, the affiliated physicians group continued to pay his salary.
The Times’ story from October 2007 reported that Safari repeatedly and vigorously attempted to draw out a baby boy, a twin, with a vacuum extractor in 2005. The first twin had been delivered naturally, but the second died in the delivery room because of a severed spinal cord.
The year before, The Times reported, the doctor had waited more than three hours to do a cesarean section even though a baby girl was in distress and her family said they had been pleading for the procedure.
Obstetrician-gynecologists testifying for the medical board said that Safari made “extreme departure[s] from the standard of care” in the two cases.
But experts testifying on Safari’s behalf argued that in the 2004 delivery, Safari could not force a patient to undergo a procedure against her will and the cesarean section was done in a “timely” manner. The judge accepted Safari’s contention that he had recommended the C-section numerous times to the patient.
In the 2005 delivery, Safari’s experts said, the doctor’s use of the vacuum extractor was appropriate.
“The reasoning of [Safari's] experts is found to be persuasive,” the judge wrote.
It is unusual for the board to dismiss an accusation. In the last two years, only about 3% have been dismissed, according to Debbie Nelson, associate analyst at the board.
Dr. Robert L. Rusche, one of the doctors who spoke against Safari, said he was stunned by the judge’s decision.
Rusche retired in 2006 shortly after reporting Safari’s actions to the medical board and, with a former colleague, has sued Kaiser for alleged retaliation. The suit is expected to be settled soon, Rusche said.
He said he was not sorry for raising an alarm, noting that federal investigators backed up his group’s claims.
“I’m concerned for patients’ well-being,” Rusche said. “The facts of the case speak for themselves. I’m not sure the facts were really understood at the judicial level.”
Safari still faces two internal hearings at Kaiser to decide if his credentials as a Kaiser doctor should be revoked and whether his suspension is fair, Schear said.
“We’re hoping the medical board decision will influence them to stop what they’re doing and allow Dr. Safari to go back to work,” Schear said.
A Kaiser spokeswoman said the company cannot discuss the internal proceedings involving Safari under California law but said it was reviewing the medical board decision.
“At this time the Medical Board’s finding will not change Dr. Safari’s status at Kaiser Permanente,” said spokeswoman Gerri Ginsburg, in a statement. “Our internal processes adhere to different legal standards than that of the Medical Board, and there may be no implications.” ”
(http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-me-kaiserdoc14-2009feb14,0,1151028.story)