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A damning report emerged on Thursday linking a renowned surgeon at Memorial Hermann to allegations of irregularities, prompting the sudden shutdown of the hospital’s liver and kidney transplant program in the Texas Medical Center.
According to The New York Times, hospital officials are investigating a doctor suspected of clandestinely manipulating a government database to render some patients ineligible for new livers, potentially depriving them of critical medical care.
Although the Times couldn’t ascertain the surgeon’s purported motivations, when contacted, he deferred inquiries to UTHealth Houston, his employer, which declined to comment.
Eyewitness News independently reached out to Memorial Hermann and UTHealth Houston for verification of the surgeon’s identity, alleged involvement, and comments on the report, awaiting responses.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a statement acknowledging the gravity of the allegation, affirming its commitment to safeguarding patient safety and equitable access to organ transplant services. HHS pledged to address the issue diligently, with relevant agencies conducting investigations and enforcement actions to uphold the integrity of the organ procurement and transplantation system.
This revelation follows Memorial Hermann’s announcement last week regarding “a pattern of irregularities” in the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) transplant database, prompting the suspension of both liver and kidney transplant programs due to shared leadership structures.
As a result, 38 liver-transplant patients and 346 kidney-transplant patients on the waiting lists were affected, with hospital officials contacting them to facilitate alternative treatment options or providers, as reported by the Times.