CHARLOTTE, N.C.,None — Three doctors from the Charlotte area were fined $85,000 by the N.C. Medical Board.
Dr. Neal Michael Goldberger, an anesthesiologist, and Drs. Chason Spencer Hayes and Seth Lewis Jaffe, both orthopedic surgeons, were fined because they performed surgeries on patients who may not have needed it, the state claims.
The fines are the largest the state has handed out since it received the authority to levy fines in 2006.
Consent orders signed by Goldberger, Hayes and Jaffe state the doctors performed a series of diagnostic tests that led to immediate plasma disc decompression surgery on seven patients.
The medical board objected to the practice of allowing the doctors who diagnosed the problem to perform the surgeries, calling it a conflict of interest.
The board also found none of the patients who underwent the surgeries had spinal problems that would justify the surgery.
The president of Carolina Bone & Joint, who employed the three doctors, said many medical experts view the procedure in question as safe.
More Information: Goldberger's consent order (PDF) Hayes' consent order (PDF) Jaffe's consent order (PDF) Disciplinary reports from the N.C. Medical Board
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