A concerning report emerged on Thursday linking a highly regarded surgeon at Memorial Hermann hospital in Houston to allegations of misconduct, resulting in the abrupt suspension of the hospital’s liver and kidney transplant program. The New York Times revealed that hospital authorities are investigating whether the doctor tampered with a government database to wrongly disqualify some patients from receiving new livers, potentially denying them critical care.
The motives behind the surgeon’s actions remain unclear, as he declined to comment and referred inquiries to his employer, UTHealth Houston, which also refrained from providing a statement when contacted by . The seriousness of these allegations prompted a response from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), emphasizing their commitment to patient safety and equitable access to organ transplant services.
Memorial Hermann had previously disclosed a discovery of irregularities in the donor acceptance criteria recorded in the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database, prompting the suspension of both liver and kidney transplant programs. This decision affected numerous patients awaiting transplants, with hospital officials reaching out to them to explore alternative treatment options.
In response to the situation, HHS has mobilized resources, including teams from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, to investigate and address the issue comprehensively.
