This case is strikingly similar to the case of Dr. Hamid Safari at Kaiser Permanente. However, in the Kaiser case, the cover-up went all the way to the top. Instead of firing the doctor who killed the babies, Kaiser fired the Chief of the OB/GYN Department for complaining about Dr. Safari! At the same time, Kaiser offered $2 million to Dr. Safari to resign.
Dr. Gilbert Kenneth Moran's lawsuit says he was fired for complaining about "Dr. X," whose negligence resulted in three deaths at Kaiser in Fresno, which is where Dr. Hamid Safari worked when his notorious misbehavior occurred.
Missouri couple sues doctors for separating baby’s head during grisly botched birth, and trying to cover it up: reports
Arteisha Betts and Travis Ammonette claim in lawsuit that their OB-GYN refused to perform a planned C-section and then detached baby's spine while trying to yank him from the birth canal.
BY PHILIP CAULFIELD
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
OCTOBER 12, 2012
Arteisha Betts and Travis Ammonette, of Florissant, Mo., claimed their son, Kaden Travis Ammonette, died during birth after the delivering doctor separated his head from his neck.
A Missouri obstetrician separated a baby's head from his body during delivery and then shoved the newborn back into the mother and performed an emergency C-section to cover up the ghastly blunder, a couple claims in a lawsuit.
Arteisha Betts and Travis Ammonette, of Florissant, filed a 10-count complaint in St. Louis County Circuit Court last month claiming doctors wrongly pushed them to have a vaginal delivery, decapitated their son and then tried to cover it up, according to local Patch and Courthouse News Service.
The details of the couple's claim are horrifying.
During a February 2011 appointment, the couple claimed, Dr. Susan Moore told them their baby boy would have to be delivered by caesarian because his abdomen was too large for a normal birth, according the CNS report.
Betts went into labor on March 22, just 28 weeks into what is normally a 40-week pregnancy.
The delivering doctor at St. John's Mercy Medical Center, Dr. Gilbert Webb, refused to perform a C-section and "would only agree to deliver her baby by way of attempted trial of vaginal delivery," the complaint said, according to Patch.
Webb refused to allow them to go to a different hospital, and "Betts consented to a trial of vaginal delivery under duress and protest," the complaint said.
During the birth, the boy's head breached, but the rest of his body got stuck in the birth canal, the complaint said.
In an attempt to pull the boy loose, Webb applied traction to his head and "separated (the boy's) head from his cervical spine," the complaint said.
Blood "shot out" from the newborn's neck in full view of his parents, the complaint said.
Mercy Hospital in St. Louis, where Betts was brought to give birth in March 2011. The hosptial was not named in the couple's complaint.
Webb then "pushed" the boy's head and body back into the birth canal and scrambled to perform a C-section, slicing into Betts before anesthesia kicked in, the complaint said.
During the procedure, Webb "surgically and completely removed" the boy's head from his body, the complaint said.
The doctor then tried to cover up the boy's wounds before handing him over to his parents — though the complaint doesn't say how he did this.
The suit, filed in late September, names Webb and Moore, along with Midwest Maternal & Fetal Medicine Services and Signature Medical Group as defendants.
The couple accused the group of wrongful death and negligence and is seeking unspecified damages...
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/couple-baby-decapitated-delivery-article-1.1181731#ixzz2B6zRBOSz
Showing posts with label . Safari (Hamid Safari). Show all posts
Showing posts with label . Safari (Hamid Safari). Show all posts
Friday, November 2, 2012
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Kaiser fired Dr. Moran for complaining about Hamid Safari, the doctor who killed two babies
Kaiser retaliation for patient advocacy
Kaiser fired the Chief of the OB/GYN Department for complaining about a doctor who has since become notorious for killing babies. At the same time, Kaiser offered $2 million to the baby-killing doctor to resign.
Dr. Gilbert Kenneth Moran's lawsuit says he was fired for complaining about "Dr. X," whose negligence resulted in three deaths at Kaiser in Fresno, which is where Dr. Hamid Safari worked when his notorious misbehavior occurred.
The lawsuit states:
...Between 2002 and 2004, while he was Chief of the OB/GYN department and oversaw the quality of care committee, petitioner complained to hospital officials about substandard patient care given by a doctor identified as Dr. X. The physician-in-chief told petitioner to stop complaining, and dismantled the quality of care committee; he demoted and otherwise disciplined petitioner as a result of the complaints. Dr. X's negligence resulted in the death of three patients.
Petitioner was told he could work harassment-free at Kaiser-Bakersfield if he resigned his partnership, returned to employee status, and accepted a reduction in pay and job security; he was told he would likely be promoted to partnership again after one year, rather than the usual three years. Petitioner agreed to this. His first day of work for SCPMG in Bakersfield was January 8, 2007. He subsequently filed a lawsuit alleging retaliation for patient advocacy; that suit was resolved on June 29, 2009. Petitioner was later told he would not be promoted to partner at Kaiser-Bakersfield; he was terminated effective February 22, 2010...
Hamid Safari: Kaiser tried to bribe baby-killing doctor
Kaiser Permanente Thrive Exposed
March 8th, 2008
[How do you like that? Only at Kaiser can you kill two babies and endanger countless others, only to be handed $2 million of member money to quietly resign. The pattern should be glaringly obvious by now. Kaiser always tries to lie and buy its way out of a scandal, and only does the right thing when its malfeasance becomes a media event. Note that even after Safari turned down the settlement, Kaiser still would have declined to suspend him if only CMS hadn't rejected the first plan of correction (pdf).]
From the Fresno Bee:
Kaiser doctor rejected a deal
Hospital offered beleaguered Safari $2 million to resign.
By Tracy Correa
Three months before Kaiser Permanente suspended a Fresno physician at the center of a state investigation into the deaths of two babies, the hospital offered him $2 million to resign.
Dr. Hamid Safari, who treated high-risk pregnancies, said he refused the Nov. 28 offer because he wanted to continue working and believes he has done nothing wrong.
“I have spent my life to be a perinatologist and help patients, mothers and babies. The money was not my intention or my goal in life,” Safari said.
Kaiser officials acknowledged that they have discussed a settlement with Safari, but would not confirm the $2 million figure. The hospital suspended the doctor last week.
“We have considered many alternatives over time regarding Dr. Safari leaving the organization, including settlement, because we believed it was in everyone’s best interest,” Linda Monte, interim senior vice president and area manager for Kaiser’s Fresno hospital, said in a written statement.
The doctor and his lawyer, Stephen Schear, said Kaiser buckled under the pressure of bad publicity. They also criticized Kaiser for telling reporters about the suspension.
Schear said Safari was not interested in taking any amount of money in exchange for his career.
“Our counteroffer was to sit down and work things out so he could continue to treat patients at Kaiser Fresno,” he said.
Safari said a Kaiser representative showed up at his home about 5 p.m. on Feb. 29 and handed over a letter stating that he was suspended, effective immediately. He had been off that day for his deposition in a lawsuit filed by two Kaiser doctors who said they were retaliated against by hospital administration for questioning Safari’s competence.
The suspension followed months of criticism and public pressure on the doctor and Kaiser Permanente since details of the deaths — in 2004 and 2005 — became public late last year.
In September, the California Medical Board accused Safari of gross negligence — charges that could lead to loss of his California medical license. A hearing is pending.
In 2004, Safari waited more than three hours before performing a Caesarean section on a patient even though the baby was in distress, according to the accusation. The baby girl, who was deprived of oxygen, died 10 months later.
The other case occurred in 2005, when Safari allegedly severed the spinal cord of a baby boy, a twin, in what has been described by investigators in documents as a brutal delivery.
Medical staff and nurses have said they had raised questions about Safari’s competence but hospital administration failed to act.
Drs. Gilbert Moran and Robert Rusche are now suing Kaiser for retaliating against them after they complained about Safari.
Safari, in turn, accuses Moran — the former head of the OB/GYN department — and Rusche of complaining to the state medical board as part of a vendetta against him. He said they did so after he complained to superiors that one of the doctors was abusing his power on a quality review committee to go after doctors he didn’t like.
In January, federal health officials issued a critical 68-page report following an investigation into the situation. The report suggested that if Safari had been monitored more closely, the deaths might have been prevented.
Days later, Susan Ryan, the hospital’s then-top administrator, stepped down.
Schear said the bad publicity had become too much and Kaiser was determined to get rid of Safari. He also said that even though the doctor is suspended, he is collecting his Kaiser paycheck and is still entitled to due process, involving hearings and appeals, that can take months or years.
Schear said the $2 million settlement offer was an attempt to quickly disassociate the hospital from Safari and shortcut that process.
Schear provided The Bee a copy of a Nov. 28 letter from a Los Angeles law firm he said represented Kaiser. He blanked out all but one passage in the letter, which reads, “Kaiser will pay Dr. Safari $2 million, provided Dr. Safari complies with all conditions set forth herein.”
Schear said the letter also set forth conditions, including a confidentiality agreement and a pledge that Safari wouldn’t sue Kaiser.
“The essence was, you leave and we give you the money,” Schear said.
He said $2 million was a starting point and that the offer came “with indications they would pay him significantly more than that if he immediately resigned.”
Schear said he believes Kaiser moved to suspend Safari because it doesn’t think the medical board will end up revoking his license when all the facts come out.
“They just decided to throw him overboard,” Schear said.
Safari said he has performed well in recent months and that there have been no reports of any problems since 2005. He said his patient satisfaction rates are the highest they have ever been and only eight Kaiser patients have asked to be reassigned to another doctor.
“I think the action [suspension] was taken because he’s performing too well and building up a track record,” Schear said. “The longer he goes without problems, the harder it is to get rid of him.”
Safari now serves primarily as a consultant in high-risk births. Kaiser restricted Safari in July 2005 from performing vaginal deliveries and made the restrictions permanent in April 2007.
Kaiser fired the Chief of the OB/GYN Department for complaining about a doctor who has since become notorious for killing babies. At the same time, Kaiser offered $2 million to the baby-killing doctor to resign.
Dr. Gilbert Kenneth Moran's lawsuit says he was fired for complaining about "Dr. X," whose negligence resulted in three deaths at Kaiser in Fresno, which is where Dr. Hamid Safari worked when his notorious misbehavior occurred.
The lawsuit states:
...Between 2002 and 2004, while he was Chief of the OB/GYN department and oversaw the quality of care committee, petitioner complained to hospital officials about substandard patient care given by a doctor identified as Dr. X. The physician-in-chief told petitioner to stop complaining, and dismantled the quality of care committee; he demoted and otherwise disciplined petitioner as a result of the complaints. Dr. X's negligence resulted in the death of three patients.
Petitioner was told he could work harassment-free at Kaiser-Bakersfield if he resigned his partnership, returned to employee status, and accepted a reduction in pay and job security; he was told he would likely be promoted to partnership again after one year, rather than the usual three years. Petitioner agreed to this. His first day of work for SCPMG in Bakersfield was January 8, 2007. He subsequently filed a lawsuit alleging retaliation for patient advocacy; that suit was resolved on June 29, 2009. Petitioner was later told he would not be promoted to partner at Kaiser-Bakersfield; he was terminated effective February 22, 2010...
Hamid Safari: Kaiser tried to bribe baby-killing doctor
Kaiser Permanente Thrive Exposed
March 8th, 2008
[How do you like that? Only at Kaiser can you kill two babies and endanger countless others, only to be handed $2 million of member money to quietly resign. The pattern should be glaringly obvious by now. Kaiser always tries to lie and buy its way out of a scandal, and only does the right thing when its malfeasance becomes a media event. Note that even after Safari turned down the settlement, Kaiser still would have declined to suspend him if only CMS hadn't rejected the first plan of correction (pdf).]
From the Fresno Bee:
Kaiser doctor rejected a deal
Hospital offered beleaguered Safari $2 million to resign.
By Tracy Correa
Three months before Kaiser Permanente suspended a Fresno physician at the center of a state investigation into the deaths of two babies, the hospital offered him $2 million to resign.
Dr. Hamid Safari, who treated high-risk pregnancies, said he refused the Nov. 28 offer because he wanted to continue working and believes he has done nothing wrong.
“I have spent my life to be a perinatologist and help patients, mothers and babies. The money was not my intention or my goal in life,” Safari said.
Kaiser officials acknowledged that they have discussed a settlement with Safari, but would not confirm the $2 million figure. The hospital suspended the doctor last week.
“We have considered many alternatives over time regarding Dr. Safari leaving the organization, including settlement, because we believed it was in everyone’s best interest,” Linda Monte, interim senior vice president and area manager for Kaiser’s Fresno hospital, said in a written statement.
The doctor and his lawyer, Stephen Schear, said Kaiser buckled under the pressure of bad publicity. They also criticized Kaiser for telling reporters about the suspension.
Schear said Safari was not interested in taking any amount of money in exchange for his career.
“Our counteroffer was to sit down and work things out so he could continue to treat patients at Kaiser Fresno,” he said.
Safari said a Kaiser representative showed up at his home about 5 p.m. on Feb. 29 and handed over a letter stating that he was suspended, effective immediately. He had been off that day for his deposition in a lawsuit filed by two Kaiser doctors who said they were retaliated against by hospital administration for questioning Safari’s competence.
The suspension followed months of criticism and public pressure on the doctor and Kaiser Permanente since details of the deaths — in 2004 and 2005 — became public late last year.
In September, the California Medical Board accused Safari of gross negligence — charges that could lead to loss of his California medical license. A hearing is pending.
In 2004, Safari waited more than three hours before performing a Caesarean section on a patient even though the baby was in distress, according to the accusation. The baby girl, who was deprived of oxygen, died 10 months later.
The other case occurred in 2005, when Safari allegedly severed the spinal cord of a baby boy, a twin, in what has been described by investigators in documents as a brutal delivery.
Medical staff and nurses have said they had raised questions about Safari’s competence but hospital administration failed to act.
Drs. Gilbert Moran and Robert Rusche are now suing Kaiser for retaliating against them after they complained about Safari.
Safari, in turn, accuses Moran — the former head of the OB/GYN department — and Rusche of complaining to the state medical board as part of a vendetta against him. He said they did so after he complained to superiors that one of the doctors was abusing his power on a quality review committee to go after doctors he didn’t like.
In January, federal health officials issued a critical 68-page report following an investigation into the situation. The report suggested that if Safari had been monitored more closely, the deaths might have been prevented.
Days later, Susan Ryan, the hospital’s then-top administrator, stepped down.
Schear said the bad publicity had become too much and Kaiser was determined to get rid of Safari. He also said that even though the doctor is suspended, he is collecting his Kaiser paycheck and is still entitled to due process, involving hearings and appeals, that can take months or years.
Schear said the $2 million settlement offer was an attempt to quickly disassociate the hospital from Safari and shortcut that process.
Schear provided The Bee a copy of a Nov. 28 letter from a Los Angeles law firm he said represented Kaiser. He blanked out all but one passage in the letter, which reads, “Kaiser will pay Dr. Safari $2 million, provided Dr. Safari complies with all conditions set forth herein.”
Schear said the letter also set forth conditions, including a confidentiality agreement and a pledge that Safari wouldn’t sue Kaiser.
“The essence was, you leave and we give you the money,” Schear said.
He said $2 million was a starting point and that the offer came “with indications they would pay him significantly more than that if he immediately resigned.”
Schear said he believes Kaiser moved to suspend Safari because it doesn’t think the medical board will end up revoking his license when all the facts come out.
“They just decided to throw him overboard,” Schear said.
Safari said he has performed well in recent months and that there have been no reports of any problems since 2005. He said his patient satisfaction rates are the highest they have ever been and only eight Kaiser patients have asked to be reassigned to another doctor.
“I think the action [suspension] was taken because he’s performing too well and building up a track record,” Schear said. “The longer he goes without problems, the harder it is to get rid of him.”
Safari now serves primarily as a consultant in high-risk births. Kaiser restricted Safari in July 2005 from performing vaginal deliveries and made the restrictions permanent in April 2007.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
California Medical Board goes easy on Kaiser Permanente Dr. Hamid Safari
See all posts re Dr. Hamid Safari.
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.
Medical Board of California dismisses accusations against Kaiser doctor
Perinatologist Hamid Safari had been accused of negligence in the deliveries of two babies who died in 2004 and 2005. A judge found that he complied with standards of care.
February 14, 2009
Jia-Rui Chong
Los Angeles Times
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 Medical Board of California had accused Dr. Hamid Safari of mishandling the procedures. One child died in the delivery room in April 2005, and the other died months after her January 2004 birth.
Kaiser Plans Start @ $75Get Free Instant Quotes. Find Affordable Kaiser Permanente Plans! KaiserQuotes.com
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."
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.
Medical Board of California dismisses accusations against Kaiser doctor
Perinatologist Hamid Safari had been accused of negligence in the deliveries of two babies who died in 2004 and 2005. A judge found that he complied with standards of care.
February 14, 2009
Jia-Rui Chong
Los Angeles Times
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 Medical Board of California had accused Dr. Hamid Safari of mishandling the procedures. One child died in the delivery room in April 2005, and the other died months after her January 2004 birth.
Kaiser Plans Start @ $75Get Free Instant Quotes. Find Affordable Kaiser Permanente Plans! KaiserQuotes.com
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."
Kaiser doctor Hamid Safari was accused of negligence but remains on the job
'No one would listen'
A TIMES INVESTIGATION
Kaiser doctor is accused of negligence but remains on the job
October 16, 200
Tracy Weber and Charles Ornstein
Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
Late one April night, the first of Sarah Valenzuela's twins arrived with little trouble, but the second stayed put.
Though the baby was not in distress, Kaiser Permanente perinatologist Hamid Safari attached a vacuum extractor to the boy's head to draw him out. Again and again he tugged, but still the baby would not come.
He vigorously shook the vacuum, up and down, side to side, according to government documents and hospital incident reports.
It took 90 minutes and six tries -- the last with Safari on his knees, pulling. Horrified staffers -- and the boy's father -- looked on as baby Devin finally emerged. His skin was a bloodless white, his neck elongated and floppy.
His spinal cord had been severed.
Safari lashed out at a nurse. "What did you do to that baby? I gave you a good baby," he said, according to a complaint letter the nurse sent to her union representative.
Staffers at the Fresno birthing center were devastated and angry -- and not just because of the twin lost that night in 2005.
Over the years, doctors and nurses repeatedly had complained to higher-ups -- including Kaiser's top medical officer in Northern and Central California -- about problems they saw in Safari's skills and behavior, according to interviews and documents.
This is a story not just of tragic medical outcomes, but of a health plan that did not prevent them.
A year before Devin's death, the doctor had waited more than three hours to do a Caesarean section even though the baby girl was in distress and her family said they had been pleading for the procedure, according to interviews and government records. She was severely deprived of oxygen and died months later.
As far back as 2002, a physician review committee at the hospital concluded that Safari provided "inappropriate" care and that his "conduct needed significant improvement," according to a lawsuit later filed by two of his peers.
Still, the doctor continues to work at Kaiser Fresno, practicing under restrictions that staffers say have not been explained to patients.
Regulators acted only recently. This July, the state Department of Managed Health Care fined Kaiser a record $3 million for its haphazard handling of complaints and physician errors throughout the state. Officials said in an interview that the Safari matter played a significant role in their decision to investigate the HMO's practices.
Late last month, the state medical board accused Safari of gross negligence, seeking to revoke or suspend his license.
The board also has faulted Kaiser, the nation's largest HMO with 6.5 million members in California. The health plan made the board's investigation of Safari "protracted and difficult" by providing incomplete medical records, a spokeswoman said.
Kaiser did not allow senior officials to be interviewed for this story -- and warned staffers at Kaiser Fresno not to talk, several said. In a statement, hospital administrator Susan Ryan said the HMO has cooperated with the medical board and is "committed to ensuring the safety of our patients."
In July 2005 -- three months after Devin's death -- Kaiser imposed its restrictions on Safari, barring him from performing vaginal deliveries and requiring him to be monitored by another physician or an advanced-practice nurse, Ryan said. The restrictions became permanent in April 2007. Kaiser and other hospitals typically do not notify patients of such actions, officials said.
Safari, 49, declined to comment. His lawyer, Stephen D. Schear, said the accusations are "completely unwarranted" and that Safari intends to challenge the medical board's action in a hearing. Safari, he said, has the support of many at the hospital and in his department.
"If you're doing thousands of high-risk deliveries over the years, it's almost inevitable that there's going to be some unfortunate cases where children die, where things don't go right," Schear said.
"You're talking about one minute maybe where he pulled too hard to try to extract this baby. . . . Just look at his whole record, 10 years."
But doctors and other staffers allege that Devin's death was the culmination of Safari's troubles, not a fluke.
"We do not feel that our perinatologist is competent," reads an August 2005 petition signed by eight of Safari's peers, about half of the ob-gyn department. "Over and over again he put our patients at risks and most recently with the undeniably terrible outcome."
Kaiser was "misleading our patients and the public" by advertising that it had a perinatalogist on staff even though his practice was restricted, said the petition, which was addressed to the hospital's medical director.
The petition, complaint letters, depositions and other documents used in preparation of this story are part of the ongoing lawsuit by the two doctors and arbitration cases against Kaiser, or have been provided to state regulators investigating Kaiser and Safari.
A TIMES INVESTIGATION
Kaiser doctor is accused of negligence but remains on the job
October 16, 200
Tracy Weber and Charles Ornstein
Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
Late one April night, the first of Sarah Valenzuela's twins arrived with little trouble, but the second stayed put.
Though the baby was not in distress, Kaiser Permanente perinatologist Hamid Safari attached a vacuum extractor to the boy's head to draw him out. Again and again he tugged, but still the baby would not come.
He vigorously shook the vacuum, up and down, side to side, according to government documents and hospital incident reports.
It took 90 minutes and six tries -- the last with Safari on his knees, pulling. Horrified staffers -- and the boy's father -- looked on as baby Devin finally emerged. His skin was a bloodless white, his neck elongated and floppy.
His spinal cord had been severed.
Safari lashed out at a nurse. "What did you do to that baby? I gave you a good baby," he said, according to a complaint letter the nurse sent to her union representative.
Staffers at the Fresno birthing center were devastated and angry -- and not just because of the twin lost that night in 2005.
Over the years, doctors and nurses repeatedly had complained to higher-ups -- including Kaiser's top medical officer in Northern and Central California -- about problems they saw in Safari's skills and behavior, according to interviews and documents.
This is a story not just of tragic medical outcomes, but of a health plan that did not prevent them.
A year before Devin's death, the doctor had waited more than three hours to do a Caesarean section even though the baby girl was in distress and her family said they had been pleading for the procedure, according to interviews and government records. She was severely deprived of oxygen and died months later.
As far back as 2002, a physician review committee at the hospital concluded that Safari provided "inappropriate" care and that his "conduct needed significant improvement," according to a lawsuit later filed by two of his peers.
Still, the doctor continues to work at Kaiser Fresno, practicing under restrictions that staffers say have not been explained to patients.
Regulators acted only recently. This July, the state Department of Managed Health Care fined Kaiser a record $3 million for its haphazard handling of complaints and physician errors throughout the state. Officials said in an interview that the Safari matter played a significant role in their decision to investigate the HMO's practices.
Late last month, the state medical board accused Safari of gross negligence, seeking to revoke or suspend his license.
The board also has faulted Kaiser, the nation's largest HMO with 6.5 million members in California. The health plan made the board's investigation of Safari "protracted and difficult" by providing incomplete medical records, a spokeswoman said.
Kaiser did not allow senior officials to be interviewed for this story -- and warned staffers at Kaiser Fresno not to talk, several said. In a statement, hospital administrator Susan Ryan said the HMO has cooperated with the medical board and is "committed to ensuring the safety of our patients."
In July 2005 -- three months after Devin's death -- Kaiser imposed its restrictions on Safari, barring him from performing vaginal deliveries and requiring him to be monitored by another physician or an advanced-practice nurse, Ryan said. The restrictions became permanent in April 2007. Kaiser and other hospitals typically do not notify patients of such actions, officials said.
Safari, 49, declined to comment. His lawyer, Stephen D. Schear, said the accusations are "completely unwarranted" and that Safari intends to challenge the medical board's action in a hearing. Safari, he said, has the support of many at the hospital and in his department.
"If you're doing thousands of high-risk deliveries over the years, it's almost inevitable that there's going to be some unfortunate cases where children die, where things don't go right," Schear said.
"You're talking about one minute maybe where he pulled too hard to try to extract this baby. . . . Just look at his whole record, 10 years."
But doctors and other staffers allege that Devin's death was the culmination of Safari's troubles, not a fluke.
"We do not feel that our perinatologist is competent," reads an August 2005 petition signed by eight of Safari's peers, about half of the ob-gyn department. "Over and over again he put our patients at risks and most recently with the undeniably terrible outcome."
Kaiser was "misleading our patients and the public" by advertising that it had a perinatalogist on staff even though his practice was restricted, said the petition, which was addressed to the hospital's medical director.
The petition, complaint letters, depositions and other documents used in preparation of this story are part of the ongoing lawsuit by the two doctors and arbitration cases against Kaiser, or have been provided to state regulators investigating Kaiser and Safari.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Kaiser Permanente and the bizarre saga of Dr. Hamid Safari
What does it take to get Kaiser doctors to fall in line? In my experience, most doctors and administrators at Kaiser will do what they're told even if it harms patients.
My guess is that administrators pressured doctors to sign the second letter. Why? Because Kaiser could be held liable for patient deaths if one of their doctors was found to be unprofessional. Kaiser seems to have a knee-jerk response to criticism of Kaiser doctors: deny any problem, cover it up, and don't let reason or ethics interfere with decisions.
More about this letter can be found at The Kaiser Papers.
Hamid Safari: Kaiser tried to bribe baby-killing doctor
Kaiser Permanente Thrive Exposed
March 8th, 2008
[How do you like that? Only at Kaiser can you kill two babies and endanger countless others, only to be handed $2 million of member money to quietly resign. The pattern should be glaringly obvious by now. Kaiser always tries to lie and buy its way out of a scandal, and only does the right thing when its malfeasance becomes a media event. Note that even after Safari turned down the settlement, Kaiser still would have declined to suspend him if only CMS hadn't rejected the first plan of correction (pdf).]
From the Fresno Bee:
Kaiser doctor rejected a deal
Hospital offered beleaguered Safari $2 million to resign.
By Tracy Correa
Three months before Kaiser Permanente suspended a Fresno physician at the center of a state investigation into the deaths of two babies, the hospital offered him $2 million to resign.
Dr. Hamid Safari, who treated high-risk pregnancies, said he refused the Nov. 28 offer because he wanted to continue working and believes he has done nothing wrong.
“I have spent my life to be a perinatologist and help patients, mothers and babies. The money was not my intention or my goal in life,” Safari said.
Kaiser officials acknowledged that they have discussed a settlement with Safari, but would not confirm the $2 million figure. The hospital suspended the doctor last week.
“We have considered many alternatives over time regarding Dr. Safari leaving the organization, including settlement, because we believed it was in everyone’s best interest,” Linda Monte, interim senior vice president and area manager for Kaiser’s Fresno hospital, said in a written statement.
The doctor and his lawyer, Stephen Schear, said Kaiser buckled under the pressure of bad publicity. They also criticized Kaiser for telling reporters about the suspension.
Schear said Safari was not interested in taking any amount of money in exchange for his career.
“Our counteroffer was to sit down and work things out so he could continue to treat patients at Kaiser Fresno,” he said.
Safari said a Kaiser representative showed up at his home about 5 p.m. on Feb. 29 and handed over a letter stating that he was suspended, effective immediately. He had been off that day for his deposition in a lawsuit filed by two Kaiser doctors who said they were retaliated against by hospital administration for questioning Safari’s competence.
The suspension followed months of criticism and public pressure on the doctor and Kaiser Permanente since details of the deaths — in 2004 and 2005 — became public late last year.
In September, the California Medical Board accused Safari of gross negligence — charges that could lead to loss of his California medical license. A hearing is pending.
In 2004, Safari waited more than three hours before performing a Caesarean section on a patient even though the baby was in distress, according to the accusation. The baby girl, who was deprived of oxygen, died 10 months later.
The other case occurred in 2005, when Safari allegedly severed the spinal cord of a baby boy, a twin, in what has been described by investigators in documents as a brutal delivery.
Medical staff and nurses have said they had raised questions about Safari’s competence but hospital administration failed to act.
Drs. Gilbert Moran and Robert Rusche are now suing Kaiser for retaliating against them after they complained about Safari.
Safari, in turn, accuses Moran — the former head of the OB/GYN department — and Rusche of complaining to the state medical board as part of a vendetta against him. He said they did so after he complained to superiors that one of the doctors was abusing his power on a quality review committee to go after doctors he didn’t like.
In January, federal health officials issued a critical 68-page report following an investigation into the situation. The report suggested that if Safari had been monitored more closely, the deaths might have been prevented.
Days later, Susan Ryan, the hospital’s then-top administrator, stepped down.
Schear said the bad publicity had become too much and Kaiser was determined to get rid of Safari. He also said that even though the doctor is suspended, he is collecting his Kaiser paycheck and is still entitled to due process, involving hearings and appeals, that can take months or years.
Schear said the $2 million settlement offer was an attempt to quickly disassociate the hospital from Safari and shortcut that process.
Schear provided The Bee a copy of a Nov. 28 letter from a Los Angeles law firm he said represented Kaiser. He blanked out all but one passage in the letter, which reads, “Kaiser will pay Dr. Safari $2 million, provided Dr. Safari complies with all conditions set forth herein.”
Schear said the letter also set forth conditions, including a confidentiality agreement and a pledge that Safari wouldn’t sue Kaiser.
“The essence was, you leave and we give you the money,” Schear said.
He said $2 million was a starting point and that the offer came “with indications they would pay him significantly more than that if he immediately resigned.”
Schear said he believes Kaiser moved to suspend Safari because it doesn’t think the medical board will end up revoking his license when all the facts come out.
“They just decided to throw him overboard,” Schear said.
Safari said he has performed well in recent months and that there have been no reports of any problems since 2005. He said his patient satisfaction rates are the highest they have ever been and only eight Kaiser patients have asked to be reassigned to another doctor.
“I think the action [suspension] was taken because he’s performing too well and building up a track record,” Schear said. “The longer he goes without problems, the harder it is to get rid of him.”
Safari now serves primarily as a consultant in high-risk births. Kaiser restricted Safari in July 2005 from performing vaginal deliveries and made the restrictions permanent in April 2007.
Doc’s credentials terminated due to negligence
21 October, 2010
fresnobee.com on October 18, 2010 reported that Kaiser Permanente in Fresno has terminated the hospital privileges and credentials of Dr. Hamid Safari after a nearly three-year fight by the beleaguered perinatologist to keep his job following allegations of negligence. Kaiser’s action comes despite the California Medical Board’s decision last year to clear Safari of negligence related to the deaths of two babies in 2004 and 2007.
My guess is that administrators pressured doctors to sign the second letter. Why? Because Kaiser could be held liable for patient deaths if one of their doctors was found to be unprofessional. Kaiser seems to have a knee-jerk response to criticism of Kaiser doctors: deny any problem, cover it up, and don't let reason or ethics interfere with decisions.
More about this letter can be found at The Kaiser Papers.
Hamid Safari: Kaiser tried to bribe baby-killing doctor
Kaiser Permanente Thrive Exposed
March 8th, 2008
[How do you like that? Only at Kaiser can you kill two babies and endanger countless others, only to be handed $2 million of member money to quietly resign. The pattern should be glaringly obvious by now. Kaiser always tries to lie and buy its way out of a scandal, and only does the right thing when its malfeasance becomes a media event. Note that even after Safari turned down the settlement, Kaiser still would have declined to suspend him if only CMS hadn't rejected the first plan of correction (pdf).]
From the Fresno Bee:
Kaiser doctor rejected a deal
Hospital offered beleaguered Safari $2 million to resign.
By Tracy Correa
Three months before Kaiser Permanente suspended a Fresno physician at the center of a state investigation into the deaths of two babies, the hospital offered him $2 million to resign.
Dr. Hamid Safari, who treated high-risk pregnancies, said he refused the Nov. 28 offer because he wanted to continue working and believes he has done nothing wrong.
“I have spent my life to be a perinatologist and help patients, mothers and babies. The money was not my intention or my goal in life,” Safari said.
Kaiser officials acknowledged that they have discussed a settlement with Safari, but would not confirm the $2 million figure. The hospital suspended the doctor last week.
“We have considered many alternatives over time regarding Dr. Safari leaving the organization, including settlement, because we believed it was in everyone’s best interest,” Linda Monte, interim senior vice president and area manager for Kaiser’s Fresno hospital, said in a written statement.
The doctor and his lawyer, Stephen Schear, said Kaiser buckled under the pressure of bad publicity. They also criticized Kaiser for telling reporters about the suspension.
Schear said Safari was not interested in taking any amount of money in exchange for his career.
“Our counteroffer was to sit down and work things out so he could continue to treat patients at Kaiser Fresno,” he said.
Safari said a Kaiser representative showed up at his home about 5 p.m. on Feb. 29 and handed over a letter stating that he was suspended, effective immediately. He had been off that day for his deposition in a lawsuit filed by two Kaiser doctors who said they were retaliated against by hospital administration for questioning Safari’s competence.
The suspension followed months of criticism and public pressure on the doctor and Kaiser Permanente since details of the deaths — in 2004 and 2005 — became public late last year.
In September, the California Medical Board accused Safari of gross negligence — charges that could lead to loss of his California medical license. A hearing is pending.
In 2004, Safari waited more than three hours before performing a Caesarean section on a patient even though the baby was in distress, according to the accusation. The baby girl, who was deprived of oxygen, died 10 months later.
The other case occurred in 2005, when Safari allegedly severed the spinal cord of a baby boy, a twin, in what has been described by investigators in documents as a brutal delivery.
Medical staff and nurses have said they had raised questions about Safari’s competence but hospital administration failed to act.
Drs. Gilbert Moran and Robert Rusche are now suing Kaiser for retaliating against them after they complained about Safari.
Safari, in turn, accuses Moran — the former head of the OB/GYN department — and Rusche of complaining to the state medical board as part of a vendetta against him. He said they did so after he complained to superiors that one of the doctors was abusing his power on a quality review committee to go after doctors he didn’t like.
In January, federal health officials issued a critical 68-page report following an investigation into the situation. The report suggested that if Safari had been monitored more closely, the deaths might have been prevented.
Days later, Susan Ryan, the hospital’s then-top administrator, stepped down.
Schear said the bad publicity had become too much and Kaiser was determined to get rid of Safari. He also said that even though the doctor is suspended, he is collecting his Kaiser paycheck and is still entitled to due process, involving hearings and appeals, that can take months or years.
Schear said the $2 million settlement offer was an attempt to quickly disassociate the hospital from Safari and shortcut that process.
Schear provided The Bee a copy of a Nov. 28 letter from a Los Angeles law firm he said represented Kaiser. He blanked out all but one passage in the letter, which reads, “Kaiser will pay Dr. Safari $2 million, provided Dr. Safari complies with all conditions set forth herein.”
Schear said the letter also set forth conditions, including a confidentiality agreement and a pledge that Safari wouldn’t sue Kaiser.
“The essence was, you leave and we give you the money,” Schear said.
He said $2 million was a starting point and that the offer came “with indications they would pay him significantly more than that if he immediately resigned.”
Schear said he believes Kaiser moved to suspend Safari because it doesn’t think the medical board will end up revoking his license when all the facts come out.
“They just decided to throw him overboard,” Schear said.
Safari said he has performed well in recent months and that there have been no reports of any problems since 2005. He said his patient satisfaction rates are the highest they have ever been and only eight Kaiser patients have asked to be reassigned to another doctor.
“I think the action [suspension] was taken because he’s performing too well and building up a track record,” Schear said. “The longer he goes without problems, the harder it is to get rid of him.”
Safari now serves primarily as a consultant in high-risk births. Kaiser restricted Safari in July 2005 from performing vaginal deliveries and made the restrictions permanent in April 2007.
Doc’s credentials terminated due to negligence
21 October, 2010
fresnobee.com on October 18, 2010 reported that Kaiser Permanente in Fresno has terminated the hospital privileges and credentials of Dr. Hamid Safari after a nearly three-year fight by the beleaguered perinatologist to keep his job following allegations of negligence. Kaiser’s action comes despite the California Medical Board’s decision last year to clear Safari of negligence related to the deaths of two babies in 2004 and 2007.
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