Three physicians from Carolina Bone & Joint in Charlotte, N.C., have been fined $85,000 each by the state medical board for allegedly ordering unnecessary procedures, according to a Charlotte Observer report.
The fine is the largest amount issued since the licensing agency earned authority to issue fines in 2006. Consent orders, signed by each physician and the medical board president, say that anesthesiologist Neal M. Goldberger, MD, and orthopedic surgeons Chason Hayes, MD, and Seth Jaffe, DO, performed diagnostic tests that led to immediate surgery on seven patients.
The board said none of the patients had spinal abnormalities that justified the plasma disc decompression surgery.
The board also claims that from Aug. 2006-Sept. 2008, the physicians performed 900 such procedures on patients who suffered neck and back pain, usually from accidents. The board received complaints from payors who had financial responsibility for those accident-related injuries.
Along with the fines, the physicians also had their licenses suspended for 18 months, but the board stayed the suspensions immediately and allowed the physicians to continue work.
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The fine is the largest amount issued since the licensing agency earned authority to issue fines in 2006. Consent orders, signed by each physician and the medical board president, say that anesthesiologist Neal M. Goldberger, MD, and orthopedic surgeons Chason Hayes, MD, and Seth Jaffe, DO, performed diagnostic tests that led to immediate surgery on seven patients.
The board said none of the patients had spinal abnormalities that justified the plasma disc decompression surgery.
The board also claims that from Aug. 2006-Sept. 2008, the physicians performed 900 such procedures on patients who suffered neck and back pain, usually from accidents. The board received complaints from payors who had financial responsibility for those accident-related injuries.
Along with the fines, the physicians also had their licenses suspended for 18 months, but the board stayed the suspensions immediately and allowed the physicians to continue work.
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