ShareThisTwo weeks ago, Doug Cooper read about the massive hepatitis C scare triggered at a Las Vegas clinic where nurses were engaging in dangerous injection practices, apparently directed by their boss, a doctor.
Cooper was flabbergasted, but not for reasons you might expect.
Cooper is chief of investigations for the Nevada State Medical Board, which issues licenses for doctors and polices their treatment of patients. He knew nothing about the multiagency investigation that had gone on for a month before the Feb. 27 announcement that 40,000 people should get tested for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV.
Since then, Cooper's life has grown only more complicated.
"Everyone is going on innuendo and rumor and it's hard to keep focused," Cooper said. "There is a rush to judgment."
Indeed, many Nevadans have called for suspending the medical licenses of Dipak Desai, one of the state's most prominent physicians, and 13 other doctors. All worked at the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada, an outpatient surgery center, and the Gastroenterology Center of Nevada, its related medical practice.
Desai voluntarily agreed to stop practicing medicine while the investigation continues. But the gentlemen's agreement will not show up on his permanent record. The Endoscopy Center's other owners - physicians Eladio Carrera, Vishvinder Sharma and Clifford Carrol - are still practicing.
Dr. Ronald Kline, secretary of the Nevada State Medical Association, which represents physicians, said Thursday that the state's good doctors have no desire to protect the bad ones. His personal opinion is that Desai "should not be practicing medicine until the charges are cleared."
Cooper said the medical board was considering suspending the doctors' licenses. But the politics and reality of such an action are complicated.
First, there are lawyers. The doctors are wealthy enough - Desai recently started a bank, for instance - to hire teams of attorneys.
Then, Cooper must ensure the doctors have due process so the medical board doesn't get sued for violating their civil rights, he said.
Also, the medical community is close-knit. Some medical board members have connections to Desai, who ran Nevada's largest gastroenterology practice.
Board member Stephen McBride, managing partner in General Surgery Associates, shares a medical building with Desai. Dr. Javaid Anwar, president of the medical board, has done consulting for Desai through Quality Care Consultants, which he co-owns with Dr. Ikram Khan, Gov. Jim Gibbons' special adviser on health care. Anwar could not be reached for comment.
Khan said he did not expect connections to Desai and his partners to be a problem in the medical board's investigation because the Nevada attorney general's office would force recusal for anyone with conflicts of interest.
Cooper said he has taken steps to protect the investigation from undue influence by board members. He said a layperson and two physicians from northern Nevada who don't know Desai were supervising the investigation.
Though two weeks have passed since the revelations, Cooper remains steamed that he wasn't notified in advance by the Southern Nevada Health District, the state Licensure and Certification Bureau and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Medical board investigators sprang into action when they finally heard the news. Within 18 business hours, medical board investigators were at the Endoscopy Center with a subpoena, ready to grab records.
But the doors were locked. Las Vegas already had shut down the place.
A week later, other law enforcement agencies - the FBI, the Nevada attorney general's office and Metro Police among them - swept into the clinics with a search warrant, seizing computer hardware and patient files.
If the medical board had known before the public announcement, investigators "would have been so much farther ahead of the game," Cooper said. The board could have grabbed necessary evidence and developed confidential sources among clinic employees, he said.
Lisa Jones, chief of the Licensure and Certification Bureau, said she thought the medical board had been notified weeks before the announcement. But messages fell through the cracks. "My error," she said.
Cooper said the medical board would do a complete investigation, even if it takes more time. "We will solve this mystery and present to the board a cohesive package of what happened and who did what," he said.
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
In Support of the Bureau
Lisa Jones was indeed placed in a very tough position, but the one thing that I do admire about her is that she will always tell you the truth. I think that is one of the reasons that the media is also drawn to her, because they know that she is going to be straightforward with them. Lisa stepped up to the Mic, and she told the truth to all of us, she did not try to sugar coat the situation, and she never has. She did not try to place blame, but only give the public the facts; she has always been this way. I don’t want us all to forget who is really to blame here, and that is the physicians, who took a Hippocratic Oath to do no harm, and completely disregarded this oath. These events were eventually going to come to light in our state. As public officials, we are compassionate and caring, but we can’t do our jobs if our hands are tied. Many of the surveyors at the bureau stay there primarily because they care about what they are doing more than about how much they are getting paid. I just cannot bear witnessing someone as caring and dedicated as Lisa Jones being discredited in the eyes of the public in such a wrongful manner. Lisa Jones is not only an exceptional leader; she has been my mentor for over 5 years. Lisa is dedicated, working diligently towards her duties in her position as Bureau Chief, and I know because I was right there by her side along the way. Lisa Jones is incredibly knowledgeable and highly intelligent in her field. What I have always admired about her is her toughness and ability to stand her ground, and get the job done. Governor Gibbons, I know you want to stand strong on your actions, but if you take just a moment to look at the efforts and actions made by Lisa Jones you will see that Lisa Jones is truly an outstanding public official.
On the Road to Improvement in Healthcare in Nevada
The Legislative Meeting held today was a recognition for change in our State. Trust me, as a patient advocate; first and foremost, I want to see major improvements in the quality of care and treatment of patients in the State of Nevada. Although others may be prompted to leave our state because of these events, I plan to stay, and I plan to do my part to work towards initiating these improvements set forth by the meeting today. Thank you to Theresa, for speaking out on the dedication and character of Lisa Jones. Those of us who really knew her truly understand that the experience, working knowledge, and “integrity” that Lisa Jones brought to the Bureau is irreplaceable. I now know and understand that many people are angry and saddened by these events, and my heart feels for you. But, we have a road ahead of us, to making quality improvements in our state, in terms of healthcare, and we can never, never forget these events. Your voices are heard, and we must continue to work together as “one” to always respect and cherish the sanctity of life.