Texas Surgeon Allegedly Denied Liver Transplants to Make His Patients Ineligible for Care

A well-respected transplant surgeon in Texas is being accused of secretly altering the transplant list so that his patients would not receive the livers they needed, potentially resulting in their deaths, according to The New York Times. The matter is currently under investigation.

About the Doctor

The doctor accused of altering records that affected his patients’ placement on the liver transplant list is Dr. J. Steve Bynon Jr. He is a transplant surgeon in Texas who obtained national recognition for helping the nation’s organ transplant system grow and enforcing professional standards related to the system.

Dr. Bynon has worked for Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas, a teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Texas, for over a decade. He is employed by the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. His contract to lead Memorial Hermann’s abdominal transplant program began in 2011. During his time working here, accusations regarding Dr. Bynon surfaced. Dr. Bynon was responsible for overseeing the center’s liver and kidney transplant programs.

The Accusations

The allegations are that Dr. Bynon was secretly manipulating a government database that altered a transplant list to make his patients ineligible for transplants for new livers. By altering the records in this way, he effectively denied them transplants.

The medical center where Dr. Bynon is employed released a statement that a doctor in the liver transplant program admitted to changing patient records. It shut down the liver and kidney transplant programs in light of the information to investigate the matter.

UTHealth Houston released a statement that Dr. Bynon and others were “assisting with the inquiry” and defended him as “an exceptionally talented and caring physician.” It noted that his patients who received transplants had some of the highest survival rates of transplant recipients in the country. However, a disproportionate number of his patients died while waiting for new livers.

It is unclear what the doctor’s motivation to alter the records would be. When the press contacted the doctor, he simply referred them to UTHealth Houston and did not confirm whether he had admitted to altering the records.

Contact a Medical Malpractice Lawyer for Guidance

If a doctor alters patient records to make them ineligible for care, this is medical malpractice. You reasonably expect your healthcare provider to use their exceptional skill and education to make you feel better, not to cause your death or avoidable injury by making you ineligible for a transplant.

If you believe you have suffered medical malpractice, reach out to the experienced medical malpractice attorneys at Salvi Schostok & Pritchard P.C. We have recovered more than $2 billion for our clients, including more than 330 verdicts or settlements of $1 million or more. Our diverse team of top litigators is ready to fight for the justice you deserve. Contact us today for a free consultation to discuss your legal rights and options.