Authorities are investigating allegations that a Houston surgeon was secretly changing patient information in a government database to make some of his own patients ineligible for transplants at Memorial Hermann – Texas Medical Center.
The hospital announced last week that it was suspending its liver-transplant program while federal regulators investigated irregularities related to “donor acceptance criteria,” the Houston Chronicle reports.
This week, Memorial Hermann also suspended its kidney-transplant program. And on Thursday, The New York Times reported that federal health officials are investigating a Memorial Hermann doctor who is suspected of falsifying patients’ information to deny them liver transplants.
The Times identified the surgeon as Dr. J. Steve Bayan Jr., a nationally renowned transplant surgeon at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center in Houston.
Bynon has led the hospital’s kidney and liver transplant programs since 2011. UTHealth Houston released a statement Friday defending the doctor. Binyon did not return a message left at his office by Houston Landing.
Here’s what we know about the investigation and how many people are affected:
What do we know about Dr. Steve Byn Jr.?
Dr. Bayan, 64, achieved national fame as a pioneer in liver transplant surgery and served on the Membership and Professional Standards Committee of the United Network for Organ Sharing. The organization is tasked with investigating wrongdoing in the transplant system.
Binyon has had both a liver and kidney transplant program at the hospital since 2011, according to a statement provided to the Times by Memorial Hermann.
Why did we report this story?
- Memorial Hermann suspended its liver transplant program last week after “irregularities” in donor information emerged.
- On Tuesday, the hospital also announced the suspension of its kidney transplant program.
- Adhikari Hospital is staffed by nationally renowned organ transplant surgeon Dr. J. Steve Byn Jr. is being investigated following allegations that he secretly altered the liver transplant database, resulting in increased transplant denials for his patients.
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What are officials investigating into Memorial Hermann’s transplant programs?
A complaint prompted Memorial Hermann officials to launch an investigation into Dr. Bayan and the hospital’s liver transplant program. The investigation revealed “irregularities” in the classification of patients on the transplant waiting list.
Hospital officials told the Times that they discovered that some patients’ criteria for accepting donors effectively made them ineligible for transplants. For example, according to the Times, a patient may be listed as accepting a donation from a 300-pound baby, eliminating their chances of receiving a transplant.
Memorial Hermann suspended both programs, citing “irregularities” in donor transplant information for the liver program. The hospital told the Times it did not know how long Dr. Bayan might have been making changes to the database. Officials said the irregularities affected only liver transplant patients, but kidney transplants were suspended because Dr. Bynon ran both programs.
How many patients were denied transplants at Memorial Hermann?
According to the Times, Memorial Hermann had thirty-eight patients on its liver transplant waiting list and 346 patients on its kidney list when it closed.
Patients on Memorial Hermann’s liver transplant waiting list have died at a disproportionate rate in recent years, according to data analyzed by The New York Times. The Times found that 14 patients were removed from hospital waiting lists after becoming too sick or dying. The Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients told the Times that the hospital death rate was unusually high for patients on the transplant waiting list.
Records reviewed by The Times show that as of last month, the hospital had performed three liver transplants, while five patients had died or become so sick that liver transplants could not be performed.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which is also investigating the case, said in a statement, “We acknowledge the seriousness of this allegation.” “We are working diligently to address this issue with appropriate attention.”
How has Memorial Hermann responded to the allegations?
The hospital defended Bayan on Friday, calling him an “exceptional” doctor. Memorial Hermann said it is working on transferring its patients to other transplant programs. The hospital released the following statement Friday regarding the current status of the investigation and its response:
“Over the past two weeks, we have been actively working with all patients, families and caregivers affected by the liver and kidney transplant programs, following the difficult decision to voluntarily deactivate both programs. Our primary priority is to ensure continuity of compassionate care for patients who were on the transplant program list at the hospital.
“Each patient is being contacted individually by the transplant care coordinator to review ongoing care options, including a seamless transition to another transplant program if necessary.
“We are working with the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston to make the necessary changes that will allow rapid reactivation of the kidney transplant program under a different physician leadership structure. All program transplant physicians are employed by the University of Houston Health Sciences Center and contracted with Memorial Hermann to provide physician services.
“Our investigation is ongoing, and we will continue to cooperate with all regulatory authorities.”
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