Medical Board of California

Dr. Van Vu Linked to 17th Patient O.D. Death

Add another to the body count for Dr. Van Vu of California Pain Center in Fountain Valley. Already being investigated by the Medical Board of California for the deaths of 16 patients he prescribed powerful medications to, there is now reportedly a 17th deceased patient.

Dr. Lawrence H. Hansen, 87, Gives Up License 5 Years After Fatal Vaginal Reconstruction

A plastic surgeon we've written about who, at age 83, performed a vaginal reconstruction that left a 39-year-old woman dead, has finally surrendered his medical license.Dr. Lawrence H. Hansen, who is now 87 and lives in Cypress, had in 2011 accepted 35 months of probation to settle Medical Board of ... More >>

Co Dang Long Pham, Westminster OB/GYN, Disciplined by California Medical Board For Letting Rectal Mass Grow

Man, what is it with butt cancer nowadays? Weekly photographer/writer Andrew Youssef is documenting his battle with colon cancer for us, and I got another pal who's suffering from rectal cancer. And this morning, I learned that Westminster doctor Co Dang Long Pham was disciplined by the Medical Boar ... More >>

[UPDATED with Controversial Plea Deal:] Dr. Yashwant Balgiri Giri Guilty of Sex Assaults on Patients That Cost Hospital $50k Fine

See the update at the end of this post on the prosector and victim objecting to the sentence the doctor received from the judge in exchange for pleading guilty.ORIGINAL POST, FEB. 8, 3:33 P.M.: Anesthesiologist Yashwant Balgiri Giri has not yet been punished for allegedly assaulting two female patie ... More >>

[UPDATED with USC Clarifies:] Dr. Van Vu of California Pain Center in Fountain Valley Probed for String of 16 Patient Deaths

See the update at the end of this post where the University of Southern California clarifies the doctor's ties to the LA institution.ORIGINAL POST, FEB. 15, 3:16 P.M.: The Medical Board of California has launched an investigation into 16 deaths connected to powerful narcotics prescribed by a Fountai ... More >>

Woman Goes to Smile Implant Center in Newport Beach, Dies; Daughter of Deceased Wins Malpractice Suit

Los Angeles resident Paula Kane went to the Smile Implant Center in Newport Beach for dental implants after seeing a newspaper advertisement in January 2010. When she entered the facility around 9:30 a.m.,  anesthesiologist Dr. Barry Friedberg administered her drugs while she stayed awake--Kane ... More >>

William Wesley Jackson, Placentia Doctor, Has Medical License Revoked After Prescribing Drugs to Himself

The Medical Board of California (MBC) revoked a Placentia doctor's license after discovering that he was prescribing prescription drugs to himself under false names, and to other patients without examining them for four years. It started in 2007, when the then-45-year-old anesthesiologist, William W ... More >>

Glen Justice, OC Cancer Doctor Who Devised $1 Million Insurance Fraud Scam, 'Couldn't Say No' To Patients

​A doctor charged with submitting bills for up to $1 million worth of cancer medications--medications that were never provided to patients--will be suspended for a year after he gets out of jail, then placed on 10 years of probation, the California Medical Board has announced.  Glen Justice r ... More >>

Michael Kamrava, Octomom Nadya Suleman's Fertility Doctor, Files for Bankruptcy

​Michael Kamrava, the Beverly Hills fertility doctor who lost his medical license last year partly due to his controversial treatment of Octomom Nadya Suleman of La Habra, has reportedly filed for bankruptcy.TMZ cites Chapter 7 papers Kamrava filed that claim "he has only $17,628 in assets . . . a ... More >>

Another Medical Malpractice Suit Filed Against Jerry Steven Garcia, Anaheim Doctor with Bad Habit of Delivering Dead Babies

​Early this year, I wrote about the travails of one Jerry Steven Garcia, an Anaheim-based obstetrician with a nasty habit of delivering dead babies. The story profiled a couple who allege Garcia was an asshole to them after delivering their dead son, and also documented a litany of medical malprac ... More >>

Octomom Nadya Suleman's Fertility Dr. Michael Kamrava Loses Bid to Get Back Medical License

Dr. Kamrava​A judge in Los Angeles today rejected a bid by the fertility doctor of Octomom Nadya Suleman to get his medical license back.Judge James C. Chalfant essentially denied Dr. Michael Kamrava's appeal to LA Superior Court of the California Medical Board's July decision to revoke his licen ... More >>

Hoshang Pormir, Yorba Linda-Based Doctor, Gets Two Years Probation, Gave The Wrong Drugs To Four Elderly Patients

​In the wake of his "gross negligence" when treating elderly patients, the state medical board put a Yorba Linda-based doctor on two years probation, which took effect last week.Dr. Hoshang Pormir can't practice medicine again until he pays for, and completes, a 40-hour clinical training program. ... More >>

John Anthony Hatherley, Dana Point Doctor, Allegedly Violates Probation, Surrenders Medical License

From Hatherley's Facebook page for his business...​Dr. John Anthony Hatherley has anything but a clean slate.He's been on a rocky road of prescription drug addiction, diversion programs and run-ins with the California Medical Board for the past decade. The one-time emergency room doctor, who ... More >>

Luong Pham Accused of Gross Negligence In Psychiatric Treatment of Inmates, Surrenders Medical License

​Amid accusations of gross negligence in his medical treatment of six inmates and his admission of inadequate record keeping, an Irvine-based doctor's license was surrendered Tuesday. Dr. Luong Pham, who voluntarily surrendered his license, "lost all rights and privileges as a doctor in Calif ... More >>

Naguib Bebawi, Irvine-Based Doctor, Placed On Five Year Probation By State Medical Board

​The five-year probation term imposed on an Irvine-based doctor by the Medical Board of California took effect Friday at 5 p.m.The probation requires Dr. Naguib Bebawi, who practices at Advantage Plus Medical Center in Irvine, to complete clinical training, medical records and prescribing practice ... More >>

Dr. Nazar Al Bussam, Newport Coast Septuagenarian, Pleads Guilty to Writing Prescriptions for Cash

​A 72-year-old doctor, who lives in Newport Coast, but practiced medicine in Los Angeles County, pleaded guilty to federal charges for writing thousands of unjustifiable prescriptions yesterday. The OC Register's Doug Irving reports that Nazar Al Bussam faces 230 years of prison time for "cri ... More >>

Thomas Elgin, Local Emergency Room Doctor, Reprimanded By Medical Board of California

​The Medical Board of California publicly reprimanded a local emergency room doctor last week for negligent acts committed several years ago. In 2006, Dr. Thomas Elgin was the attending emergency room doctor at Orange Coast Memorial Hospital when a 48-year-old man was admitted with chest pai ... More >>

Anaheim Doctor Janet Lee Schreiber on 5-Year Probation, Admits to Wrongdoing

​ The five-year probation of an Anaheim-based doctor who admitted to wrongdoing takes effect today at 5 p.m.Janet Lee Schreiber, M.D., who practices internal medicine, is now prohibited from supervising physician assistants and subject to various probation requirements. Her probation stems from ... More >>

[UPDATED with Court Appeal:] Michael Kamrava, Fertility Doctor, Loses License

Kamrava​UPDATE, JUNE 6, 8:08 A.M.: An administrative law judge previously said Michael Kamrava, Octomom Nadya Suleman's fertility doctor, should keep his medical license, but the California Medical Board overruled that recommendation last month.So, Kamrava has turned to another judge, this one at ... More >>

[UPDATED with Medical License Suspended:] Yashwant Balgiri Giri Accused of Sex Assaults on Unconscious Patients

​UPDATE, JUNE 6, 12:40 P.M.: A Placentia-Linda Hospital anesthesiologist accused of sexually abusing two unconscious females admitted for surgical procedures has had his medical license suspended, according to the California Medical Board.Yashwant Balgiri Giri pleaded not guilty to the charges aga ... More >>

[UPDATED with Revocation Call:] Michael Kamrava, Octomom's Fertility Doctor, May Lose Medical License

Kamrava​UPDATE, MAY 5, 1 P.M.: The California Medical Board should revoke the license to practice of Dr. Michael Kamrava, the fertility doctor for La Habra single mother of 14 Nadya Suleman, the "Octomom," a state prosecutor urged today.State Deputy Attorney General Judith T. Alvarado contends rev ... More >>

Sid Mirrafati, Doc Who Promoted 'Ready-To-Wear-Breasts,' Gets 'Public Reprimand' After Patient Dies of Lipo Complication

​Local plastic surgeon Sayed Jalil "Sid" Mirrafati made OC Weekly headlines in 2009 for his own headline, "Newest Trend in Fashion This Season . . . Ready-To-Wear Breasts," which easily grabbed our attention in a press release. (The pitch: quickie boob jobs--get 'em done Friday and head back to wo ... More >>

Dr. Lawrence Hansen, 85, Agrees to Probation to Settle Vaginal-Reconstruction Death Case

​Eighty-five-year-old plastic surgeon Dr. Lawrence Hansen has agreed to accept 35 months of probation to settle accusations of negligence in a vaginal reconstruction that left a 39-year-old woman dead.The California Medical Board says Hansen failed to check on Marcia Garcia's medical history or pe ... More >>

Jerry Steven Garcia's Births, Deaths and Lies

Lawsuits and Medical Board documents paint a grim picture of the gynecologist's practice

Judge Recommends Probation, No Stripped Medical License, for Octomom's Fertility Doctor

Kamrava​Administrative Law Judge Daniel Juarez has found Dr. Michael Kamrava committed gross and repeated negligence in his care for Octomom Nadya Suleman of La Habra--but not so much that the Beverly Hills fertility doctor should lose his state license to practice medicine.Juarez's recommendatio ... More >>

John Anthony Hatherley, Dana Point Doctor, Has License Suspended by California Medical Board For Third Time

From Hatherley's Facebook page for his business...​In 2007, the Orange County Register published a bruising exposé of Dr. John Anthony Hatherley, a Huntington Beach doctor who had used his position as an emergency room doctor to feed his Vicodin addiction. Reporter Brian Joseph used him as a post ... More >>

Louis Matthew Teresi, Newport Beach Radiologist, Placed on Five Years Probation by California Medical Board for Being a Drunk

​The joke of doctors enjoying a few brews on the golf course after a long day at the hospital is a well-worn one. But actual drunk docs? No one wants those, least of all the California Medical Board, the organization in charge of disciplining doctors for various transgressions. The Board can actua ... More >>

Anaheim Hills Cosmetic Surgery Center Comes Under an Unfriendly Light

​It's enough to put a permanent frown in your forehead.After a plastic surgeon through the courts successfully challenged the state's authority to regulate surgery centers, California in 2007 stopped licensing such facilities that are at least partly owned by a licensed doctor. According to the ... More >>

Critics Think Prosecutor is Half Right Calling Octomom Nadya Suleman a Guinea Pig

A state prosecutor claims Octomom Nadya Suleman of La Habra was being used as a "human guinea pig" by her Beverly Hills fertility doctor.Funny, but except for the "guinea" part, it's also how many of Octomom's harshest critics have described her.The doctor on the spot, Michael Kamrava, claims Su ... More >>

Case of the Doctor Without a Doctor's Note For Marijuana Possession

What the doctor ordered​Have you ever called the police to complain about a reckless driver on the road and wondered if cops tried to catch the person?On a November 2007 night, a motorist in Orange County called the cops to complain about another driver veering wildly in and out of traffic. The po ... More >>

Octomom Nadya Suleman Fertility Doctor's License Revocation Hearing Continues

​The California Medical Board hearing that could result in the revocation or suspension of Beverly Hills fertility doctor Michael Kamrava's license to practice resumes today in Los Angeles.Damning details have already come out, including the admission by the in-vitro fertilization "internationally ... More >>

Michael Kamrava, Octomom Nadya Suleman's Fertility Doctor, Tearfully Admits He Was Never Board Certified and He Flunked Oral Exam

​Dr. Michael Kamrava, the Beverly Hills fertility specialist who over nine years implanted 60 embryos in Octomom Nadya Suleman of La Habra, cried on the stand again yesterday.Facing a California Medical Board that may revoke his license to practice, Kamrava tearfully admitted he was never board ce ... More >>

Octo-Doc Michael Kamrava: "My Bad"

​Love means never having to say you are sorry, but implanting 12 embryos in a single mother of six who would go on to bring eight more children to term apparently does.As its hearing that could result in Beverly Hills physician Michael Kamrava losing his medical license continues today, the Califo ... More >>

Sexy Time Fullerton Psychiatrist Loses his License

​Dr. Enrique Friedman has the cure for whatever ails you, batteries not included. One of his patients wasn't very happy with his prescription, however, and his license to practice psychiatry in Fullerton was revoked last week following allegations made by the Medical Board of California. Find out ... More >>

Dr. Michael Kamrava, "Octomom" Nadya Suleman's Litter Maker, in Hot Water Again

​The fertility doctor who treated "Octomom" Nadya Suleman of La Habra faces new state medical board accusations.As was alleged in the Suleman case, Dr. Michael Kamrava transferred too many embryos into an unnamed woman and failed to recommend that she see a mental health professional, California ... More >>

Orange County Nurses Among Those the State Deemed "Public Safety Threats" Because of Drug Addictions

Marcin Tusinski​Remember the series of stories we shared about the Hungtington Beach plastic surgeon who had a penchant for red wine and accumulating DUIs? And remember how California's Medical Board egregiously allowed that doctor (and many like him) to keep practicing medicine despite his having ... More >>

Boozy Huntington Beach Surgeon's Medical License Revoked

No scalpels allowed.When we last left off in the strange case of alcoholic Huntington Beach plastic surgeon Brian West, we'd just learned that he'd been found guilty for lying to investigators about a DUI and disfiguring a former patient without her consent. The administrative law judge recommended ... More >>

The Ripple Effects Of Octo-Breeding

Adhi DarmawanIt seems the hyper-breeding antics of "octomom" Nadya Suleman have now prompted television networks to halt production of reality shows or documentaries about women trying to have babies in any non-conventional way, writes former NPR "Day to Day" host Madeleine Brand on her new parentin ... More >>

Drunken, Disgruntled Plastic Surgeon Picks On Reporters

A supporter or two of Brian West--the plastic surgeon whose ups and (mostly) downs, involving his drinking problem and former patients, I've covered in these pages--has now taken to trying to sully mine and Sacramento CBS television reporter Kurtis Ming's names with a comical new blog experiment. Mi ... More >>

Drunk Doctor Gets Bad News -- Sort Of

Brian West, the former local plastic surgeon with a hard-to-kick drinking problem accused of disfiguring some patients, and who later filed a restraining order against one of them, has been found guilty in two of the four cases brought against him by the state Attorney General -- one, for lying to a ... More >>

Ex-Owner of Santa Ana Abortion Clinic May Be Jail Bound

LifeNews.com reports the owner of a chain of women's health clinics that caters primarily to Latinas - which until recently included Clinica Medica Para La Mujer at 120 W 5th St., Santa Ana, the site of an alleged assault by a physician on a pro-life photographer we blogged about in August - is like ... More >>

A Doctor Walks Into A Bar...

...And proceeds to fondle and otherwise molest his patients? Switch out the bar to an examining room and that's what the OC District Attorney's office is alleging that David Hung Do, a Kaiser doctor who worked in La Palma and Anaheim, did to three female patients between June 2007 and July 2008. Do ... More >>

A Scalpel and 99 Bottles of Beer

An administrative law judge heard the Attorney General's case against alcoholic-plastic surgeon-gone-bad, Brian West, in Sacramento this week. The hearings followed the accusation filed earlier this year by the Medical Board of California alleging that West had performed multiple acts of gross neg ... More >>

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Whoop-Asses

An anti-abortion activist taking photographs outside a controversial Santa Ana family planning clinic suffered minor injuries Saturday afternoon after being attacked by a physician who obviously did not appreciate having his picture taken. According to Santa Ana Police records, Howard Tendai Pfpaje ... More >>

Patient of Alcoholic OC Doctor Dies

A few months ago we published the gruesome story of an OC plastic surgeon who had a drinking problem and left several patients hacked and deformed up in Sacramento before relocating to Orange County, where he now practices in Huntington Beach. One of the women in our story was Becky Anderson, who ma ... More >>

Tucked Up

A Long Beach patient sues Dr. Brian West over a tummy tuck she claims went awry

Under Wraps

Many of Dr. Brian West's patients didn't know he was in the state medical board's substance-abuse-diversion program. At least six of them claim they're paying the price

Dr. No Good?

Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas announced the arrests of three medical doctors who allegedly traded their professional oaths for quick cash. Michael Cheeluen Chan, 61, Mario Z. Rosenberg, 59, and William Wilson Hampton, 51, now face 47 felony counts and, if convicted, could go to pr ... More >>

Letters

After This, Tomatoes

In a better world, Dr. Philip A. Denney wouldnt have to dedicate his practice to pot