This proves that we are human after all, no matter what career we choose.

Closer regulation of doctors, who are spinning out of control with ownership and incorporation of hospitals and pharmaceutical companies, may help this. Or not. Especially if it is regulated by the government.

If you look at reports of doctors that are sued for mal-practicing medicine, it is alarming. Unfortunately, like all of our affairs, we deal with such knowledge in hindsight, or reactively, rather than pro actively.

We are really are lazy fat cats here in America. We put way too much faith in a system that does not work and has not worked for decades, asserting that “it can never happen to me.”

wow

I think plastic surgery in general seems to attract doctors who are many times unqualified.

Hopefully this is a rare occurrence - as far as the addiction part goes. Is it ? ….. I guess I will find out tonight on AC360.

It is about time for prohibition on drinking, smoking & Govt waste.

I’m not sure how gov regulation would have helped here…. it was elective surgery…

Don’t know if the addiction was at fault or if he was simply a bad doctor… there are plenty of bad doctors…

If we have fed controlled medicine… expect more bad doctors… lets face it… they control the VA hospitals and I wouldn’t go near one if I could help it.

I myself had breast reconstruction surgery after a mastectomy. I’ve never been happy with the results but the only failure, thank goodness, is aesthetic. I’m appalled to hear that something so routine can have such horrible results. I felt confident in my choice of plastic surgeon because he was recommended by my cancer surgeon. How in the world did Dr. West continue to get work? Did other doctors, not knowing, continue to refer patients to him? That’s an alarming prospect!

I doubt elective surgery would be corrected by the feds… I could be wrong… they run the VA so well and all.

I feel bad for these folks… there are a lot of bad doctors out there… and by the time you find out it could be too late.

Even though the majority of people in medical fields are well qualified, the medical field has many doctors, nurses and other practitioners who shouldn’t be in the field of medicine at all. Trying to find the good medical help isn’t always easy. If patients have a good general practitioner MD they can trust, it’s much easier finding good medical help when a medical specialty is required.

As an RN and friend to a few physicians who have battled addiction, I was unsettled by this article. Implying that a doctor is automatically dangerous or less skilled than his or her peers because of a drug or alcohol problem is both untrue and irrational. It smacks of tabloid fear mongering. The issue of physicians practicing under the influence shouldn’t be confused with physicians practicing under treatment.

Any effort encouraging medical professionals (and I include nurses here) to seek treatment should be applauded…and funded. Instilling the fear of persecution, or worse still loss of license and thus livelihood, because of a disease they cannot control, will only serve to encourage the hiding of the problem - putting even more patients at risk.

As a society, we put a huge amount of pressure on medical professionals to be more pure than the general population, above the problems that the unwashed masses face. At the end of the day, we are just folks with jobs - like everyone else. Doctors are human, and the expectation that they be more than that only exacerbates the problem.

It appears from the article that a) maybe Dr. West simply isn’t a very talented surgeon to begin with, addiction or not, and b) the issue isn’t with the diversion program itself, but the administration of the program - which I’m sure is under the influence of the “good ole’ boy network” that plagues most professional institutions.

I am disappointed at CNN for portraying this problem in the way that it did. Perhaps exposing the problems with the diversion program and vilifying the program’s administrators would have been more responsible than vilifying the medical professionals who seek treatment for their addictions.

Those doctors should never be allowed to do surgery again! Plus they should pay $ to the people who they have hurt! Sincerely, Judi Smith

I agree that there are many bad doctors out there, but there are many excellent ones too. I work for Board Certified Orthopaedic Surgeons and I deal with legal issues every day with these guys. I can tell you this: there are probably many well documented cases of true malpractice in this country, and the media always focuses on these. What they almost NEVER focus on is the number of bogus malpractice complaints that doctors deal with EVERY DAY in medicine that cost them thousands of dollars in legal defense. I’m not talking about what these women went through, I talking about absolute NONSENSE. And for a doctor to be tried by a jury of his “peers” - it just doesn’t happen-unless all jury members are doctors.

Randi, you are alot stronger than I am because if I had to produce a story like that….I would have not only have sympathized, but I would also have cried with them.

If one can be put in jail and/or lose driving privileges for DUI of alcohol/drugs, why can’t medical professional who practice while “under the influence” be jailed and/or lose their medical licenses? In my opinion, both groups put the lives of others in danger and should be punished severely.

This is a sad story, and I am sure this won’t be the last time we hear of something like this happening.

i have familly that work at a hospital in florida that a doctor was in jail out on work release while working at the hospital doing surgery, he still works at the hospital and is a known drunk, how can they get away with that and why doesnt the hospital tell anyone or stop him, shouldnt patients know about the doctor preforming surgey on them, if people ctually knew the ins and out of some hospitals it would scare them

This is the reason that they should through out Tort Reform in the state of MS.Another reason is that the Docters in this state killed my father back in 1990 and then came back in 2005 and killed my mother and I had know recourse in either case because of Tort Reform.I still have documation to prove it in my mothers case,but my father just before he died said don’t worry about it they just made a little mistake,I presonally don’t think it was that little.You can beleive that it wasn’t a little one.

To Mr. Dog:

Well said and excellently written. I am also disappointed in CNN for this portrayal of physicians. I think it will cause a lot of people to respond with a generalized negative view of medicine and doctors and that simply isn’t fair. Maybe CNN should do a segment on the strain that bogus malpractice lawsuits put on our judicial system. Or one about why it’s hard to recruit doctors to states in this country with no malpractice cap. It’s because we have become a litigious society that believes only monetary compensation will heal all wounds.

Blaming this on the presence of a diversion program is nonsense. These poor souls were not victims because their doctor was in a diversion program, they were victims because that doctor was either incompetent or mentally ill in some other way. The descriptions sound almost like the deliberate outcomes of a criminally deranged mind - and that certainly merits investigation.

If one wants to point fingers at the diversion program for this outrageous example, do so in the context of that program containing inadequate safeguards for assuring its participants are actually clinically competent, and perhaps for inadequate primary monitoring - not due to their insistence on maintaining the doctor-patient’s privacy. Those participants who are competent and maintaining their programs do not deserve to have their careers destroyed because of the actions of this plastic surgeon.

Furthermore, once that surgeon failed his program, that fact and his resulting punishment became public information.

This is a sad story that misrepresents a number of issues. Drs are human and have personal issues. Drs need to feel safe for themselves to get help. With proper monitoring, a doctor in recovery, can and should be able to practice medicine.

I have a couple of problems with this article and everyone appears to jumping on the band wagon. if in 2000 he was going to his appointment to treat her and was arrested then he provided no treatment and was not under the influence to even treat her since he was not there for the appointment. how do you sue for negligence when he provided no treatment!

No one is required to tell of his/her convictions or arrests unless on an employment application, so why should this be different for docs?

I have not seen listed in this article where the negiligence has occurred due to their using! sorry for this little reality check! once a person has an addiction either using or in recovery they are always addicted - so the article title is missing leading– which is unfortunate for the addicted person. Makes them seem they should not even hold a job! There are thousands of dr, rn, pharmacists, etc that are in recovery and still practicing.

DeeP1

I’m one of Dr. Brian R. Wests butchered patients..and still living with his nightmare..and will until I am in the grave..this man needs to be put in jail..you can’t drink and drive but you can drink and perform surgery..and without any consequence in CA and many other states….in the case of addicted doctors…you’re on your own..sadly…

I am a recovering alcoholic, sober now for 14 years. I was lucky. Friends and family intervened when I was in my early ’20’s before my disease progressed to the point of no return. I work hard every day to stay sober. I am and always will be one drink away from dying. It’s the disease. This doctor has this disease. I refuse to work his program. It’s not my place to judge him just as it isn’t anyone’s place to judge my path in recovery. Obviously there are consequences to all addiction. But there is also redemption in recovery. This man deserves the same chance all of us are given by our Higher Power. I know many healthcare professionals who are in recovery and help heal people every day. In fact, because they live this disease of addiction, they know better than anyone what I need to heal my body physically and otherwise. I purposely try to find them for that reason. Christ forgave His torturers and murderers as He was hanging on the cross dying. People in recovery get that resentment is our #1 offender and work to heal those resentments and forgive. Maybe one day everybody else will figure this one out, too.

Dr. West was NEVER impaired while treating patients! He wouldn’t have a license today if that were true. The only reason why he has been made the poster boy is because a revengeful patient and her attorney found out that he had a DUI in 1997 and 2000. This patient lost her malpractice suit and her appeals. This patient smoked against doctors orders. She killed her belly button by smoking. She also gained a bunch of weight. If you take a pair of pants to the seamstress to be made smaller and then you gain a bunch of weight and force those pants on, what happens? You bust out of the seams. For over 5 years this revengeful patient has been solicting patients to file complaints and sue this doctor. This lady’s attorney went thru Dr. West’s life with a fine tooth comb. Every doctor, every nurse, every colleague that ever worked with Dr. West was diposed. They never smelled alcohol on him, they never thought he was impaired, and they all supported Dr. West.

If you were going to have surgery and you smelled alcohol on the doctors breath, would you go ahead with surgery? Of course not! Another lie by Mr. Mikulecky.

In all their depositions everyone testified that they never smelled alcohol on him or thought he was impaired.

“He was not allowed to practice medicine for one year” - another falsehood. Dr. West’s license was never suspended and he was never prevented from working for any period of time.

Dr. West never butchered anyone!

As a participant in the Medical Board of California’s Diversion Program, your article implies that doctors in the Program can somehow alter the date of their random urine tests. That is NONSENSE! It never happened with anyone I know.

Randi:
Like, Jane from Los Angeles, I’m baffled by how Dr. West continues to get patients. What Doctors are referring patients to him if his track record is so bad? Were there any patients of Dr. West who were happy with his work?

Regardless of whether this “Diversion” program gets cancelled or not, doctors should not be allowed to practice until they have proven they have kicked their alcohol habit. Not sure what that would mean but I would hate for us to get to the point where all doctors have to pass a breathalyzer test prior to performing any surgery. Looking forward to the report.

Jolene, St. Joseph, MI

I agree with Mr_Dog comments. As an ‘alcholic’ that has saught the AA treatment program to help completely stop my use of alcohol I have nothing but good to say about Alcoholics that are sober and care for their sobriety. Now an alcoholic that is still on the bottle we can call a drunk, and these people simply need to make the choice to stop and get help - active alcoholics should think carefully about their capacity to work in high risk professions. Alcoholics are not only those lying under a bridge with a bottle hidden in a paper bag, they number in the millions out there and there Must be and IS help out there. Read how AA started you may be very surprised at the people.

I am sad to see such slandering of physicians on CNN. Physicians are people, who as all people have their share of problems. An alcoholic in recovery is not a danger to the general public, and a physician recovering alcoholic is not either. The stories presented while they strike personally, sound very misleading. Complications, especially wound infections, are common and are more likely in cancer patients who are immunocompromised. If the women were so worried about their life, they should have waited for the reconstructive surgery until after they received chemotherapy- this is common sense! While Dr. West has a history of alcohol problems a DUI in 1987, are you serious 1987 is 20 years ago…George Bush used cocaine and he is the President of the US..go report on that. I am sad to see such biased reporting by AC, I expect more from you. This is not news, this is not a story, this is nonsense reporting. Your next story should be doctors who underwent successful rehabilitation and are saving lives…that’s news that instills faith in the American healthcare system, not one that takes away from it.

I’m a weee bit disturbed by the lack of insensitivity that some bloggers have posted here..many seem to get it..a few of you do not…as a medical professional they are held to a higher standard..when you take a human life and place it at risk with your hands..you are MOST accountable…a human body is not disposable as Mr. West treated his patients..he abandoned many without hesitation..lied and manipulated all for greed..was unclean hence the high infection rate…amputees and deaths….and those of us lucky enough to live…we are left spending thousands upon thousands of dollars in hope of a normal future..daily pain and torture without the “hope” of an end to the misery…and to be so insensitive as to suggest that he is the victim..when there are so MANY victims..is insensitive and really the blogger with a heart like this should take a moment and realize that it could easily be anyone…easily..your mother…..your child…your sister..your father…your husband..any one of you…Mr. Brian R. West isn’t a rarity..he is an epidemic..and one you should really be alarmed about..

Drivers. Commercial pilots. Lawyers. Doctors.
We can and should a method of testing for alcohol.
Oh wait.. . . we have a method.
The pilots and doctors with an alcohol problem should be required to blow into the machine upon request of the passengers and patients.
When the regulatory agency enables the doctor to deceive the patient, then the agency should bear some of the liability.

Here’s the rub: The key is to inform the patient that the patient may want to request a breathalyzer test of the surgeon before surgery. That would chase away patients. The diversion program is obviously designed to avoid notifying the patient of something that they should know.

its a shame how many people are defending this, yes a person can make a mistake, but they should not be aloud to practice medicine while under going treatment, if they are allowed then the patient should be told, where are the right of the patients, they are putting their lives in the hands of the doctors that treat them and should know if the trust they are giving is misguided, nothing is wrong with treatment, but do it and do not practice while doing it, and if it occurs again then they should not be allowed to conduct a surgery, we have a lot of problems with our health care system and this should not be one, when I or anyone goes under the knife I would like to my doctors to have all his faculties and be in the best shape to pre form the surgery and if there is any reason he isn’t I would like to be notified

I find Mr Dog and a few other comments perplexing. Would they honestly want a doctor who is an alcoholic or drug addict performing surgeries on them - recovering or not? As for the others who dismiss this as “elective surgery”, the women described were fighting breast cancer and having their breasts reconstructed. I find it appalling that there are posters blaming the patient.

If her breast cancer surgery failed, then she may have a legitimate case for malpractice. If the doctor had been treating her under the influence of alcohol, then he should lose his license. Hands down.

However, anybody, even a doctor, has the right to receive confidential treatment for drug or alcohol abuse. If we penalize doctors who seek help, that only increases the risk that doctors will avoid treatment and continue to abuse…even perhaps on the job.

My heart really goes out to this family. It is overall a terrible tragedy. However, I do not believe that a doctor’s right to confidential addiction treatment interferes with the rights of the patient.

Can CNN do a story on the wonderful things that the majority of doctors do for society? Can they do a story on the hours required by medical professionals, especially residents (which would be illegal in any other hourly worker?) It seems that the media always focuses on the extremely small percentage of incompetent physicians which undermine all medical professionals. The media is not balanced, and I am extremely disappointed.

There is a small number of incompetent physicians out there, but the majority of GREAT phyicians should not suffer as a result, which they will as a result of this media segment.

Furthermore, the majority of malpractice cases are won in the favor of the physician, even though they do not have a jury of peers. Physicians are so regulated and expected to work for free for the better of society. They have families and children to feed also. Not to mention the insurmountable debt they incur, opportunity cost, etc. as a result of the stringent training requirements.

The doctor portrayed in this segment probably should not be practicing medicine, but my issue is with the way CNN is clearly judging all of medical professionals by this, especially by focusing on this and not the positives. One percent of doctors are in rehab and 99% are not. Wouldn’t a more balanced approach be doing 99% of stories on the wonderful things doctors do and 1% on the incompetent physicians in our society? Why does the media do this? Better ratings and more money for CNN?

And lastly, if you put even more regulation, lack of privacy, etc. etc. onto physicians, no one will go into medicine.

Now imagine a society without doctors????

I fail to see why a DUI has anything to do with addiction. Or how it should effect anyones credibility. What happens outside of work should stay outside of work and is nobodies business. Plenty of credible people have been convicted of DUI’s and it has had no influence on their career or how well they do there job. Lets get real here.

excuse me…it was not actually cancer surgery. any case, if the surgery was botched than there is probably a legitimate malpractice suit.

“In California, the State Medical Association says there are between 200 and 400 doctors in this Diversion Program on any given day. A nationwide study found about 1 percent of all physicians practicing in the United States are in confidential treatment. That’s about 8,000 doctors!… 8,000 doctors whose patients have no idea they are addicts.

Wouldn’t you want to know?”

I bet there are more doctors who are in denial and/or would never admit to a problem. So then one question becomes - Would the public rather their doctors seek treatment for these issues in some way or would they rather them hide them and end up making a critical or fatal mistake?

I’m not sure out of all of the issues of botched operations and doctors’ mistakes that this represents a significant number. (Although I don’t know). I’ll be watching but it appears as though the biggest problem would be in areas of surgery - in particular - plastic surgery.

I’ve heard so many plastic surgery horror stories. What percentage of them are addiction related? I’m not saying that its not an issue but really how significant is the issue?

Isn’t the issue more about plastic surgeons who practice that really don’t have the credentials to be practicing? That seems to be the bigger issue just based on the stories I’ve heard and articles I’ve read over the years.

How does this number (8,000) compare to overall malpractice claims and/or events? The percentage might even be thought of as acceptable considering the larger picture or considering all of the data. What do the medical experts say?

Dr. West was clearly a poor surgeon, addict or not, and unfortunately there are physicians that have failed to take their hippocratic oath to heart ….”first, do no harm. ” That said, I take my job as a physician very seriously. It is extraordinarily rare that I see a physician who does not try his/her best every day for the patients they treat. All of us went into medicine to help and to heal, and we all sacrificed large sums of money as well as those things priceless and intangible (ie seeing our child’s first steps, being at every soccer game), all in the pursuit of making a worthwhile difference to the patients we serve. And despite our best efforts, sometimes we make mistakes. Other times, despite everything, some cannot be healed. I respect the anger, the pain and the disappointment that the patients of Dr. West feel. The system did fail them. But I am at the same time saddened by the sensationalist way this is being portrayed by CNN. As a few people have pointed out , for every true malpractice case or negligent physician, there are many more sued that do not deserve it, and I fear that this story will only fuel that fire. I hope that 360 will attempt to remain true to a precedent of providing fair coverage, and as such, consider an additional story regarding the problems and challenges facing today’s physicians, problems that are estimated to leave our country with a shortage of 100-200,000 physicians by 2020.

I had a laparoscopy for infertility and endometriosis by a physician who came wild eyed to my room while I was recovering only to find out later he was in a rehab for cocaine abuse!!!!

This surgeon sounds like a hack. There are hacks in construction, hacks in the Presidential office, hacks are everywhere. Its a fact of life and hopefully you can win some cash out of him and pursuade other people to not use him. Which is how the world treats hacks.
But his DUI’s should have no relevance on how he conducts business. Some DUI’s are just plain silly as you can get one for drinking just two pints of beer or splitting a bottle of wine with a loved one.
Judge him by his capabilities not his DUI’s.

I read a book recently which brought this to light and frankly scared me to death. It is calle Doctor Hyde and can be found online by searching Google. This is about a formerly addicted surgeon in Scottsdale, Arizona and is a must read if you are considering any kind of elective surgery.

I just don’t get it. Once they enter the diversion program why aren’t they then put on sabatical until they are clean. It’s just like me going on short term disability. My work paid for a few weeks. Then the health insurance company paid my salary until I got well and returned to work. What’s so hard about that. They should be put on medical health leave themselves, receive some sort of guaranteed salary for a certain period and then have to be declared sober and be supervised for 2 years. Someone needs to sue the whole system not just each doctor, for letting addicted doctors continue to treat patients. They doctors should be off on leave until they either recover or fail to recover and thus face termination.

This whole subject is of great interest to all. I dont think CNN is blaming Dr.s in general but lets face it , there are some pretty bad ones out there and how they stay in practice is beyond me. Remember, it only takes one bad egg to make the rest look bad. And if we have to give so much information for all our medical why cant the Dr.s be set up to do the same. How many people know you can go into the internet and look them up online thru their medical license number….bad thing is it doesnt tell you EVERYTHING that a patient should know…I mean who;s going to admit they have a drinking problem or whatever…I think it is the right of the patient to be aware of all complaints on a DR. so they can base their health on this and make the decision who they want operating on them. We only have one life to live why should it be at the Dr.s call…is he playing God?

I say this half-jokingly - but there are some doctors who would do ten times a better job ‘a little buzzed’ than the work some other doctors would do on their most sober day.

Obviously those great ones are not going to admit to a problem and most of them probably do not get caught because they still can perform at great levels. They then save the vices for when they are not on call or at work.

Don’t you know how many great competent renowned people actually battle so many of these demons in private? Across so many fields.

Obviously anything dealing with anesthesia or surgery is more critical but I don’t for one second think that doctors are anywhere near perfect in this sense.

I think patients just need to do their research - especially when choosing surgeons (and especially when choosing plastic surgeons).

I also think that you might have a higher percentage of “screw ups” due to overwhelming doctor fatigue & pressure than due to addiction problems. Its almost similar when you compare it to driving (or operating a plane). The ones with the DUIs and DWIs obviously make the news but how many people are involved in crashes (even fatal crashes) because they were too sleepy behind the wheel.

It’s just to put things into perspective. I think I have a greater chance of being screwed over by a surgeon running on very little sleep than one who is under the influence on the job.

I agree with Joe, that book, doctorhyde.net should be required reading for anyone considering plastic surgery - or drugs for that matter! This guy was once in cosmopolitan for Bachelor of the year!!!

Why are these brain dead idiots allowed to be in pratice???Are they above the law or are you that hard up for Drs. that you let these people mess with our lives?????????????????????

Another reason to fear doctors with knives. Someone should speak up if they suspect the surgeon is shaky while operating and doctors, like other people should have to take time off if they have a problem. I think they should be held accountable.

If you google this doctor you will find a site called standingup4truth that tells another side of the story. Diversion is a monitoring program, not rehab. Doctors aren’t allowed to work while in “REHAB”. Doctors in Diversion are safe. These patients claiming to be butchered because their doctor got a DUI is crazy. If their allegations were true, this doctor would not be operating. Sounds like they found out some dirt on their doctor and tried to blackmail him with it.

Why do they have mandatory drug testing for those who work for the city or Bear Sterns but not for those performing surgery in private practices or in the hospitals? Aren’t the medical associations protecting these doctors way too much? Other doctors also refuse to “Rat” out these bad doctors due to fear of becoming black balled. Happens everyday - why do u think there is such a high rate of “Failed Back Surgery!”

Thank you, Mr. Dog for pointing out the difference between those “under the influence” and those “in active recovery.” I am an Anderson Cooper fan, HOWEVER, I believe he did not do his homework on this one…… I am terribly disappointed.

As a physician and a recovering addict, I think that at least 99% of the people who watch this program will have no ability to comprehend what truly happens in situations like these. Every situation is different. I wish, sincerely, that Anderson Cooper would report on something he can understand so he doesn’t taint the reputation of those who have overcome an illness and now are 100 times better than they were as a physician. So, who really is impairted here? The physician who had a problem 15 years ago and is now completely sober, or the ass who decides to try to make a good story out of something he can’t possibly understand? Of course, that is unless you are an addict Mr. Cooper? Are you?

CNN needs to make this more well-known. I also got botched by a drug addict doctor. I would have send my photos. Will be happy to send my photos for the next epidsode. I didn’t know. Neither did my girlfriend who also got botched by a doctor who lost his license in NY.

I am shocked that there are people who are defending medical professionals who practice while drunk and/or high on drugs!

Also, where is your compassion for the patients who suffered because of these medical malpractices?!?!

This is amazing! First, I WAS thinking of surgery before my third child is married — a bit of face lift and mneck tuck — yet I don’t know how to check out the credentials and qualifications of anyone I might talk with about the possibility. IT IS IMPERATIVE that people know how to check out their professionals– be they surgeons - plumbers — electricians. I have never been about government oversight and judgement — as the qualifiers/inspectors and testgraders can be bought — but I do have a righ5 to guess and second guess whom I might hire for any work that I would like done. How do we get there???

I can’t understand why an addict, whether to prescription drugs, illegal drugs or alcohol is allowed to practice medicine, having control over the life and death of other people. Any addict like that should have his or her medical liscence instantly revoked and never again be allowed to work in this profession. This goes for MDs as much as nurses and other practitioners of the health profession. How can one trust an addict with ones health and life. All such information should be made public to all patients prior to them submitting themselves to the care of such individuals. Health care in this country is already borderline negligent, there is no need to increase the risks of patients by allowing addicts to “treat” them.

My periodontist was a drug addict when he did a bone graft on me. I have had problems ever since. I called CNN several times…….I hope this time you will acknowledge my comments.

It’s fine to say that doctors are human too, but they have far more responsibility than the average joe. They have the power to heal, and the power to kill.

The Hippocratic Oath trumps a doctor’s pride and privacy. If you can’t handle the responsibility and be true to the oath and to yourself, then you shouldn’t be a doctor.

Having said that, I agree with those who say that a recovering alcoholic, after the initial detox, is not the danger. An active alcoholic surgeon IS a danger and (s)he shouldn’t be allowed to practice.

I don’t know if Dr. West was intoxicated or not when he performed those surgeries, if he was withdrawing or not, or if he’s just not a very talented doctor, so I can’t comment on this case specifically. I just wanted to make the point that any doctor practicing under the conditions alleged in this article doesn’t deserve a license let alone his / her privacy. Furthermore, regulating and policing agencies should ALSO hold the Hippocratic Oath above all other considerations, and I just don’t think they do.

Active alcoholics are so into denial they cannot be trusted to seek the help they need. But the people around them aren’t and with doctors that’s part of the problem. They know who the alcoholics among them are, but they ascribe to a code of silence. Airline personnel have begun speaking up when a pilot is impaired, getting that pilot out of the cockpit. Now hospital staff need to do the same thing where doctors are concerned. Get them out of the operating room, get them away from patients until they can prove the public is safe in their care. Everyone — including the impaired docs — will benefit that way.

I think it’s ludicrous to allow physicians with drug and alcohol addictions to continue to practice medicine. But then again, how many chances to kill people do we give drunk drivers? My mother was killed by a drunk driver who had been arrested five times previously, so I can’t say that this story surprises me that much. Whether alcohol is a disease or not doesn’t really matter to me. All I know is that my mother is no longer here, because some idiot got behind the wheel drunk.

As someone who is both in recovery and in a monitoring program for impaired physicians, I am extremely dissapointed in what I see.

Alcoholism and drug addiction are TREATABLE DISEASES. Just because we wear a white coat to work doesnt mean we are not susceptible to the disease of addiction. The treatment programs do work, and god willing, we are allowed to return to our profession as rehabilitated physicians. We are sick with an incredibly complex disease that takes time to heal and treat, just like diabetes or cancer.

Yes, it is important that we protect the public from doctors who practice medicine impaired by drugs and alcohol. I would rather have a surgeon who is a recovering alcoholic cut into me than anyone else, at least I know that he is monitored, sober, and much more compassionate for his/her perils with addiction,

What a nightmare of a story - its horrible to think about what happened to these women and others like them.

The diversion program and its confidential nature perhaps should go a step further and bar the doctors from doing surgery until they are cured and have been that way for at least 6 months, and there should be follow up random substance testing as well. If the doctor fails his license should be revoked - after all the first vow the doctors took was to “do no harm”.

Annie Kate
Birmingham AL

We need to stop. We need to stop accusing one person of something then generalizing it to everyone else. This practice in the United States whereby one citizen argues the point against one person then acts as if they are the voice of reason on that subject. So, it is true that the doctor had some alcohol addictions and in fact did not remain enrolled properly while serving patients. But to terminate the program because of one failure is wrong. This attitude of Americans to feel betrayed or wronged and therefore one person ruins it for the rest is costing Americans exactly what protects them in the first place. The RIGHTS of doctors are just as important as the rights of patients. People need to realize they go to doctors for help. But they MUST realize those people they trust with their lives are still just PEOPLE. They are not infallible and placing such enormous stress and expectations on anyone is absolutely unjust and incomprehensible. And quite frankly, UnAmerican.

A doctor entering the Diversion program first goes to a certified inpatient rehab program for 3-6 months. Then they are generally held out of work for another 3 months to a full year while submitting four random urine tests a month; going to to Diversion meetings (where they are monitored by an addiction specialist) twice a week and generally attending 4-5 AA or NA meetings a week. They also are seen regularly by a therapist. All of this is paid for by the physician in question. If they are judged to have good sobriety they might then be allowed to go back to work on a restricted schedule with ongoing monitoring and meetings for a total of five years. They have a work site monitor at work who observes them daily at their place of business.
Without a Diversion program no doctor would seek help on their own. Only when their addiction became an obvious problem would they be reported, by others, to the Medical Board. The public is much less safe without a functioning Diversion program.

This is not an isolated problem with surgeons. The rate of addiction in anesthesiologists is incredibly high (the last figure that I read rated them three times more likely to end up in a residential treatment program than other physicians). These doctos are generally addicted to narcotics, primarily fentanyl, which is said to be one hundred times stronger than morphine. Many patients of these physicians never actually meet them to smell their breathe or know anything about them. The patients must rely on them with blind faith.

The case that I know about led a anesthesiologist through at least three rounds of residential rehab and into a training program to become a phychiatrist.

I’m not sure which is more frightening, the actual addiction in the OR or an addict giving advice and perscriptions to people with mental health issues. The patient’s problem could actually be less severe than the physician’s.

There should be a standard for physicians… ALL physicians… especialy those that hold the lives of their pateints in theis hands. Just as you would not like to have a driver, pilot, or engineer driving or flying under the influence, a physician should not be permitted to practice under the influence… and there should be serious consequences for those that do. There are innocent lives at risk.

As a nurse practitioner, I agree with Mr Dog’s post. Healthcare providers are human beings. No one can defend practicing under the influence, but if someone has been clean for a period of time, they should pose no more threat than any other provider.

And, as someone who spent the entire weekend working in an emergency department, it amazes me that there are people on this blog that are angry that one can get a DUI by drinking 2 pints of beer or a half bottle of wine. They need to work a day in the ER if they believe that this is okay. “Regular Joes” do take other people’s lives in their hands if they drive a car after drinking any alcohol.

It’s amazing that we are so quick to judge. Everyone has a private life, but only as a celebrity and apparently as a doctor is it out there for everyone to judge. Doctors, too, are human, and even more so in some respects have to deal with the stress of their profession. Shame on us for judging.

I have no problems with doctors who are compliant with programs and don’t do anything illegal.

Now, if he’s under the influence while treating, that’s a different story . . .

Doogie, they did do their homework. Like most of the media, they only broadcasted the “shock value” stuff. That’s what gets peoples attention. It’s the same story, different day. Unlike some of those who have commented, I do my homework before I make judgement. If this doctor smelled of alcohol, why would this lady let him operate on her. If my wife told me her doctor smelled of alcohol, I wouldn’t let himor her touch my wife. Not sure this husband is being honest. The Physicians in the Diversion Program are being monitored and tested all the time. These doctors are not practicing medicine until they have succesfully been through rehab and have proven to be safe. This can take months to years. This program should be confidential because it it’s not, these doctors will be threatened with blackmale. Doctors have the right to their privacy just like their patients. The Medical Board has a program to make sure these doctors get the help they need and don’t allow them to work until they are ready. The Diversion Programs usually last between 3 and 5 years. They have Diversion for Doctors, Nurses, Vets, Dentists, etc. Doctors aren’t going to voluntairly go into a program if they are going to be in the same boat as this doctor. Look at the attention he’s received for 2 Dui’s. If this doctor was truly hurting people, I trust that the Medical Board would have shut him down. No wonder I can’t find a doctor. It’s not worth going into medicine.

As a member of the medical profession, I see a need for guaranteed confidentiality when it comes to physicians and treatment for addiction. The programs are imperfect and the punishments for relapses should be improved, but to try to “out” the names of physicians who have been treated or are currently being treated for addiction is a blatant violation of privacy rights.

Where do we draw the line when it comes to addiction and its affects on one’s profession? According to HIPAA, it is against the law for a physician who learns that his patient, say, a school bus driver, construction crane operator, or airline pilot, is an alcoholic or a coke addict to disclose that information without the patient’s consent. Doctors are guaranteed the same rights by the physicians they visit for help with their addictions.

It’s terrible what happened to these women, but to claim that the answer is in “outing” these doctors so that patients can avoid them is just plain wrong. The answer is in de-stigmatising mental illness and those who seek treatment for it so that more physicians seek treatment for their problems. Addiction, be it to tobacco, alcohol, or an illegal drug, is a mental illness that requires medical treatment for resolution. Sure, there is anecdotal evidence that some people can get away from their addiction without help, but statistics show that over 70% of smokers, even with nicotine-replacement patches, gum, counseling, and other help, fail at least 5 times before finally beating their addiction.

If a doctor can’t beat his or her addiction, then it’s time for the government or medical boards to step in and consider revoking that physician’s right to practice. To consider physicians guilty and unable to perform their duties due to their addiction until proven innocent flies in the face of the constitutional rights of every person. Such thinking would ruin medical practices, cost the country much needed medical professionals, and force doctors into hiding rather than coming forward for help with their addictions. Would you rather live in a world where your doctor may be an alcoholic, but is secretly seeking treatment behind your back - or a world in which he or she is an alcoholic and has no chance at getting help because doing so would cost them their livelihood and reputation? Treating addiction takes time - and often - many attempts. It’s not a one-shot deal (just look at Hollywood for examples).

It’s time to stop treating medical doctors as if they are impervious to the problems that effect everyone else. Every mistake is settled with a lawsuit or severe damage to a physician’s practice and reputation. In no other profession do you have to be 100% correct, 100% of the time, and always 100% on top of every possible problem that could arise. No other profession is held to such exacting standards. Is there any wonder so many physicians turn to substance abuse for escape from the world created for them by the legal system and ungrateful patients?

I too am a physician and a recovering addict. Complication(s) + addiction does not equal incompetence. If you practice long enough the complication rate of any surgery or procedure, will occur. If it happens to occur with a MD with a history of addiction, it is always viewed negatively even if he is monitored and not under the influence. Random drug screens, and 800 number drug screening programs are not negoitable and a missed test is viewed as a positive test and the consequences are the same as if the test were positive. So I hope this program does justice to programs that help physcians and other medical professionals and lay people alike who find themselves in a fight for their lives with a chronic and life threatening disease called addiction.
I would like to remind everyone, some cancer treatments may not work in all cases but we still treat. Some diabetics are non compliant yet we still manage their care. Addiction is a disease not a choice, recovery is a choice!

There are two completely different issues here. Is this man a good doctor? I don’t think this TV special will answer that, as it seems to be a hatchet job.
Was this surgery botched? I doubt it, as she settled. People with good cases usually want it to go to trial.
Doctors in recovery? Of course. They are trying to get better, and these programs help them. Doctors are people too, and deserve some basic level of human respect. The judgment, vindictiveness, and nastiness on this blog is truly shocking. Why not just take every doctor who ever took a drink out and shoot them? A doctor or nurse in recovery is far less likely to show up drunk or hungover than someone drinking “socially”. Usually people who have this level of nastiness need to stop drinking or using drugs themselves. Get yourselves to an AA meeting!

This is journalism at its absolute worst. Doctors are human and can suffer from addiction like anyone else, surprise. Infection is a potential complication whenever an incision is made in the skin, and it is not, by default, malpractice. There is nothing in this article that substantiates, in any way, shape or form, that the physicians care was substandard. More information is needed. Innocent until proven guilty? We could let the scales of justice settle before we malign character, but that doesn’t make for good ratings, does it?

You forgot to mention there are addicts working in nursing, in hospital administration, in car repair facilities, even in newsrooms. Lets expose and humiliate them too. Or have some compassion for someone trying to work through a serious problem. No one defends doing any kind of work on which others depend while under the influence of drugs or alcohol but why do you like to pick on doctors?

From what I have read, the drug treatment of these doctors grossly lacked in accountablity. When you treat addicts, you absolutely MUST have accountability in there ALL OF THE TIME. That means that there must be random drug screening OFTEN, even if they seem to be doing so well. Addiction is a disease that has so much deceit and lying.

There should also be MANDATORY meetings for these doctors. They should have an paper packet with spaces for dates and times for 12 step or other self help meetings. They should obtain a sponsor. That should be MANDATORY.

These impaired professionals should walk the chalk and follow their treatment program TO THE LETTER. Of course the treatment program should be confidential. However, they should follow every rule, every regulation and be VERY compliant to the stipulations of the program or else they lose their licence. PERIOD.

Addiction is a disease. It needs close monitoring and daily care to keep at bay with the same intensity as severe diabetes. In order to keep it in remission, you have to follow your program. You have to go to meetings. You have to stay compliant with your treatment. You have to stay in therapy. Without this, you will relapse.

When you are a doctor, nurse, or other health professional, relapse means that you endanger others. Therefore you have an extra obligation to make sure you stay in recovery.

the doctors in the program are monitored and clean, it’s the ones that aren’t in a program that you should worry about. Dr. West was not drinking and working while he was in diversion - they stopped him from working. It was after diversion that he went out of control.

Well said Mr Dog and Debbie Denham! I couldn’t have said it better. I think the Doctor should find another career, I don’t think he has the skill for this one…..

I’m a young soon to be doctor who is also an addict in recovery. While I don’t excuse any physician who is under the influence while he or she tends to a patient, being in recovery is a very uplifting process I feel will make me a better and more compassionate physician. Please CNN show the other side of the story before you create concerns in the minds of the public you claim to serve. There are thousands of addicted doctors out there doing a remarkable job. Are you going to jeopardizes their lives for a few bad apples. Fair and balanced, that’s all I ask for.

The article states that there are 8000 physicians currently in treatment for addiction. There are approximately 853,187 physicians practicing in the US today (AMA statistics 2004). Therefore less than 1% of physicians are enrolled in addiction programs, granted there may be other addicted physicians who remain untreated. These numbers don’t indicate a major problem to me and such sensationalism just brings unnecessary negative attention to the field of medicine.

Mac, if doctors are merely people and have the right to abuse alcohol and drugs than we have the right to know if our doctor is abusing alcohol and drugs. What is UnAmerican is to not have the right to know if our doctor is abusing drugs and alcohol. As Americans and patients, we should have rights too.

Alcoholism is in fact a disease, not at all unlike diabetes or heart disease and is recognized as such by the American Medical Association. This and all other types of addiction are genetic and very pervasive, skipping generations in the family tree. The effects of the disease touch a very large percentage of our population. Insurance companies provide coverage for the treatment of addiction. These treatment programs are very intense and lengthy requiring the addict to often loose jobs and income in order to start on the road to recovery. There is no way that a person in a treatment program would be working at his/her job.

The top professions most at risk for addiction problems include physicians and clergy because they practice, and are responsible for, the “healing arts”. Professional associations provide impairment and treatment services with the wellness programs offered for their members.

A recovering addict is not a practicing addict especially and is monitored closely by these professional associations, with their license in the balance. They are confidential as are all recovery programs.

I have been effected by addiction - alcoholism - four generations back. If you were to study your family tree it will be there, even if it is an aunt or a cousin. Clearly, much more addiction education is needed. Especially before writing such erroneous information. When was the last time you got to a meeting?

If this lady is dying from cancer why is she not focused on living her life to the fullest.Instead of chasing doctors around with malparctice suites?What kind of person suspects someone is drunk and allows them to operate?Its people like this that make good qualified people turn away from medicine which is such a beautiful practice medicine is like art and people like this lady are taking that for granted.Doctors go through so much to get to where they are and than they have to deal with this B/S.CNN I have lost so much respect for your network because of this.You did not even do research about this case before airing it on national television and ruining a good doctors name. This lady should be ashmed.People don’t understand how hard it is to get a license to practice medicine and how many rules and regulations you have to follow in order to keep your license and the medical board would not put up with these allegations if they were true. This lady needs to live her life because what she claims she dose not have alot of time left.

If you people had any idea how hard physicians have to work there would never be a single critical comment of doctors.

Imagine an environment where you must work 60-115+ hours a week without error. Many of your decisions will significantly affect another being’s well being, and may alter the course of their life.

Don’t bother to comment if you don’t have a degree, and don’t think you have a degree (esp medical) just because you can read the Internet,

Anderson’s blog entry said that oftentimes, the doctors in this program can foresee when they will be drug tested. This is one problem.

Like some have said, the problem is not the program and the problem is not having alcoholic/addicted doctors who ARE in recovery work on patients.
It is, for obvious reasons, a problem when doctors who are actively abusing substances work on patients.

While doctors are human and experience sickness and addiction and psychological disorders like the rest of us do, they also have a job that requires them to be more responsible than many of us. For this reason, laws may need to be put into place so that doctors are required to continue to demonstrate their sobriety through drug/alcohol testing even when they have been in recovery for years.

I think hospitals need more over site, there is a lot that goes on there that shouldn’t and this is just the tip of the ice berg, most people that work there are good and do a great job, but there are also things that go on that shouldn’t

He should be charged with murder. How could they let him practice knowing his condition? and why?

as a nurse, i have worked with physicians in the operating room who are using the medications they are supposed to be giving to the patients. When caught the physicians’ hands are slapped, and they continue to practice. The medical association must stop this type of co-dependency. Do not allow them to practice!

It is unfortunate that this has happened. I do not feel that a person’s addiction(s) should be public knowledge. I feel this would drastically reduce the rate of individual’s seeking assistance. Does the cashier at Wal Mart need to divulge their addictive behaviors…what about the teller at the bank? I realize that a physician has much more responsibility, but it is still THEIR addiction/difficulty/behavior. I have seen horrible results from surgeries and there was no evidence to show that the person was under the influence of anything. Our society has poor quality in every profession, regardless of one’s habits/addictions. Another person’s addictions/struggles are none of our concern, unless that person CHOOSES to divulge that information.

Transportation workers like railroad engineers and pilots have to be tested, don’t they? Surgeons, too, ought to be randomly drug and alcohol tested on a routine basis. The California Medical Association clearly has little control over these doctors. We need national legislation for alcohol and drug testing of surgeons.

George Bush had a DUI 11 yrs before Dr West. Dick Cheney has 2 DUIs under his belt (just like Dr West). People readily excuse them because society was more accepting of DUI back then. Here’s the flip side - cops were more accepting of DUI back then too. Dubya and Dick must have been hammered. Probably more than double today’s recently lowered limit. Report more on that, as those 2 do their dry drunk through the mideast.

I think it should be looked at more closely at exact cases whether it is prooveable that he was drugged up or drunk during a surgery. Surgery always has risks but I would think other nurses in the operating room would easily be able to tell if he was drunk or under influence during a surgery.

I HAD A DOCTOR OPERATE MY BACK — HE COULD NOT FEEL HIS HANDS AND HAD THEM OPERATED ON THE NEXT DAY AFTER HE PARALYZED ME. HE WAS ON PRIVATE AND STATE DISIBILITY TOO.

I don’t understand why All Doctors don’t have to have Random drug testing just like all the Comerical Drivers have to do.

I felt the report was very scewed. There are many doctors who have acheived recovery because of such diversion programs. Addiction is a disease such as diabetes and requires chronic maintenance. Unfortunately, most doctors are not trained in the field of addicition, but one who has experienced and succeeded in his sobriety has something to offer his patients that he would not before. The numbers you briefly flashed of 80% success rate is a remarkable number that is not shared in the general population. Here in Colorado monitoring is regulated by a Colorado Physicians Health Program in conjunction with the board of medicine for the safety of both physicians and patients. It is not fair that your viewers get the idea that doctors who suffer from addicition cannot overcome and can actually become better practitioners for their experience. This does not mean that safety mechanisms must be in place. But a more fair and balanced view would have been more honest and encouraging

I am an a surgical oncology nurse that often takes care of patients who have had the tram flap or free flap ( I am assuming this is the surgery the story is commenting about although it was not named specifically.) These surgeries are complicated and results vary. It is unfair to blame post op complications such as infection on a surgeon alone. The surgeon does not operate without a circulating nurse and a scrub tech or nurse etc. Trying to say that the surgeon was not held accountable for sterile technique is an insult to the rest of the operative team. I wonder if his stats were compared to that of other plastic sugeaons in the country if they might not be similar. I am all for holding alll medical personnel accountable for safe practice, but let’s be educated and fair before we make these connections.

This was a biased and unbalanced report.

I think its unfortunate that CNN has suggested a cause-effect link between a clearly impaired plastic surgeon and unfavorable patient outcomes. Dr. West appears to done TRAM flap reconstruction for several women. This is a technically demanding procedure that requires a certain ‘type’ of patient….a woman that is relatively slender and a non-smoker…for optimal surgical outcomes. These patient factors were not discussed in the report.

The complications shown on AC 360 (ventral hernia, dehised abdominal donor site closure) are complications that have a lot to do with patient health, nutrition and body habitus. They could have happened to ANY surgeon…they did not occur JUST because West is a drunk. Why are we condemning a physician? Perhaps the poor outcomes are related to the patient factors listed above.

If West has a drinking problem, and its impairing his judgement, than he should be treated at state expense.

He certainly has done his part in caring for the community if he’s doing breast reconstruction, a procedure with dismal insurance reimbursement.

I’m not making excuses for this drunk surgeon. I’m making these points to let people know that they have some respnsibility to claim in their surgical outcomes…stay trim. don’t smoke. if you’re prescribed antibiotics post-operatively, take them, and recognize that complications happen.

BTW I’m a plastic surgeon.

Having programs as the california diversion is a safeguard for society and a source of treatment for doctors. Alcohol and drug addiction/abuse is a disease process no different than diabetes or heart disease. Some people are more genetically predisposed to addictions. They are often times manifestations of underlying illnesses such as depression and anxiety. Simply dismissing doctors as addicts and revoking their licenses without a confidential outlet for treatment would not be helpful. You would have 100% of these doctors hiding their problems and lose the 80% that could be helped from these programs. Based on this reasoning one would have to revoke licenses of doctors will all types of treatable impairments such as diabetes, epilepsy, heart disease, near-sightedness, etc..

As a physician who has worked in Quality Assurance in the past, incidents like these are unfortunate, but here’s the problem. If we make all of these things public, then every interevention witn a physician becomes a legal matter. Unfortunately “proof” in these cases rarely rises to legal standards.
For example, we have had physicians who have lousy results in a series of surgeries. We know that this shows signs of a problem, but if the physician drags in a lawyer, any INDIVIDUAL case could be looked at as a case of “it could have happened to anyone”. It is only in the aggregate that a pattern emerges, and a good attorney would shred that case in front of a jury of non-physicians.
Therefore what happens is we get together with the physician and say “OK, we know there is a problem here and if you get help and demonstrate improvement, we’ll keep the whole thing off the books”. Then if the physician refuses, it gets ugly in front of a judge. No one is trying to cover up here, but both sides know that if we put it on the record, in a court of law, the offending physician could win, patients would continue to get substandard care and everyone would lose.

The Medical Board of California provides public access to view a portion of a physician’s professional credentials in addition to disciplinary actions issued by the Board. The web site is http://www.medbd.ca.gov/lookup.html. For example, with regard to Dr. West, one can see that he graduated from UC Irvine (and not Stanford, as was reported) and that two disciplinary actions are disclosed by the Board.

Why is it that ball players (I could care less if they are under the influence) are randomly tested but doctors that I trust with my life are not? Random drug testing should be mandated as a licensing requirement for all medical professionals.

Their “right to privacy” is second to my right to a sane, healthy, drug-free doctor!!!

I can tell you our family physician was going through a divorce in Sarpy Co. Nebraska while my son and his now ex-wife were going through theirs. I was wondering why when I would take my granddaughter into his office to log the abuse on the child from the mother when I would get the child every other weekend, this doctor would get up and leave the room and said “I don’t want to hear about this!”

I got an account at Nebraska Online and started checking into the court cases that were logged in to their files online. I found to my horror out about this doctor losing his children into foster care at the same time I am trying to do what is right to get him to log and report the abuses of my granddaughter.

I also learned that this doctor’s two daughter had been given an STD which was the same one that the doctor was stated to have had by his wife, who was also an OB/GYN physician here in Sarpy Co. Nebraska. She also alledged that this same doctor who was soon to be her ex-husband had been in rehab for over 8 years and failing miserably. Her words not mine. And the wife stated that the ex was going around writing RXs and cashing them in for Percodan his drug of choice and stealing from the samples closet, for which a nurse had been blamed earlier at the ex’s office and here it was most likely him. It’s ugly! And to TOP this off, the local CPS in Douglas County, Nebraska said they did a collateral investigation, yet the investigatorsassigned to my granddaughter’s case DIDN’T turn these facts up. Nor did they do anything with the witnesses list for our side to protect my granddaughter. The 2 cps investigators did a very poor investigation! and for this my granddaughter still suffers because she was sent back to her abusive mother. I have pictures I can show you and YOU can show on the air. Please help me expose all this mess. The people and Nebraska bneed to know about how CPS even gave these two physicians preferential treatment when both their daughters were removed because the 2 daughters spent 2 years in foster care so there must have been something that CPS found wrong with the OB/GYN mother also. And they the CPS and GAL state that the “children had no family support network at their home”. Well, you would think with the father being a family physician and the mother being an OB/GYN doctor that they off all people would know how to make a family support network for their own kids especially! What a load of crap. Tell the truth here. Tell the people of Nebraska about these injustices and that you, CPS don’t know what a collateral investigation is whatsoever! Call me CNN, I will show you pictures and let you know the names and where to get your documentation for back up to your stories here. YOU could do a series on this one that would rack the Heartland. And my granddaughter could sure use your help also because the abusive mother now knows this family physicain is like this and still uses him for covering up her abuse to the child because she knows his background yet the doctor doesn’t know she knows from our attorneys! Why would anyone in their right mind still use a doctor like this? It is all so sad. Email me and I will send CNN reporters my phone number and we can talk about this.

A surgeon is rarely alone in the operating room, if those that were in the operating room knew that he was intoxicated they should have said something before it got as far as it did. I also believe that doctors should be allowed to get treatment privately but they should not be allowed to practice until they complete it. Maybe West should reread the Hippocratic Oath.

Unfortunately the Medical Board protects their physicians. I know of a physician who is an alcoholic and abuses drugs. But he is able to function at a high level. For how long remains to be seen. The diversion program only works if the physician wants help. There are many who do not seek help and their colleagues turn away.

Anderson,

I am sorry that your story tonight about “Doctors in Rehab” was so incredibly one sided and mis-informative. First, you selected one particularly bad doctor to profile. Unfortunately ther are bad doctors out there, and not all of them have alcohol problems. Second, you did not make a clear distinction between active alcoholics and those physicians in recovery. There is a BIG difference. There are many, many physicians in recovery who are spectacular practitioners. Although there may be occasional cases where these physicians slide back into active alcoholism, the vast majority maintain sobriey for the rest of their lives. The Director of the “Diversion Program” in California was correct- these programs help physicians get help and get back to work under close supervision. If a physician is in recovery, there should be no obligation to disclose this to patients, just as we don’t require other professionals to disclose. These recovery progrms also raise awareness of substance abuse in the workplace and provide those around the physician recourse when they suspect a problem.

Doctors literally get away with murder. The hospitals lawyers keep things as quiet as possible and settle out of court and the doctor just pays more for his liability insurance. It is truly disgusting. If they were nurses, they would lose their license, and if the Board of Nursing was gracious enough to allow them to practice again, they would have so many restrictions on their license they would not be able to find a job. I know that because I am a recovering nurse and have been to Treatment with several doctors. Tthe got a slap on the wrist and the nurses get the shaft. Yes, I am a little bitter.

Look everyone messes up, but they have to pay the consequences. I agree doctors like everyone else do have a right to privacy. Doctors in the diversion program should not be allowed to operate while in treatment. Would truck and cabi drivers be allowed to drive while in treatment? Let’s be honest their licenses would most likely be suspended anywhere from 90 days to a year. Perhaps, doctors can do consultations and may be towards the end of the program assist in surgery, but considering risk to human life here, I don’t believe they should be allowed to do more until they prove they have their problem under control.

While I can understand the emotions on every-side of this issue I think we have to look past blame and make the easy changes that can improve this situation for everyone. Medical professionals, from X-ray techs, RNs, other surgeons, and primary care doctors need to step up when any suspicion of abuse is at hand. The same ideas that let high level corporate execs leave open bar parties in a high-speed powerful car after 5 martinis are putting patients at risk. If the environment can control itself, not only will patients become more safe, but those physicians with addictions will get the help they need. We can all recognize this is a disease and we all need to realize that we cannot sympathize with some people with it and not for others.

I greatly sympathize with the man on CNN this evening who lost his wife in the reconstruction surgery. I had the same surgery that this woman had successfully. It was a very long and complicated surgery that lasted over 10 hours. The incision is hip to hip and I had this done after 2 failed reconstruction attempts. The previous attempt required 3 different surgeries in 36 hours and as a otherwise health 20 year old, left me in the ICU for 2 full days. . To call reconstructions or any surgery “routine” is false.

The risks are immense. I’m just happy that enough dedicated and talented individuals try to solve the impossible by studying medicine and refining their skills as surgeons and researchers that this debate is even possible.

I have no doubt there is a percentage of doctors in state medical association and board approved confidential rehab programs that are a danger to their patients due to continued use of drugs and/or alcohol. As a total number….8000 doctors nationwide was sited for those in such diversion programs. Perhaps 20%, (an 80% success rate was mentioned), will continue to pose a threat to patients…I would hazard to say that those percentages would be reversed if no such programs, (even sloppy ones), did not exist.
Of even greater concern would be the even far greater number of docs still in addiction and living some fantasy that they do not need help…if anything, these types of programs should have far greater support and availability.

I am also a recovering alcoholic, and I am also a Christian and a medical professional. I feel badly for Dr. West whose medical history has been displayed for the whole world to see. I cannot speak for the detailed case, but has anyone heard of HIPAA? If someone wants to call CNN with their medical history, that’s one thing, but to display someone else’s is another matter…..

Its beyond my wildest dream that such kind of a “doctor” is still practising. Simply can he be pulled to the gallows and let him face the charges?
As a patient, and a client to such a doctor,i would demand the best servcies ever given that am trusting my health –my life on him.

Let the authorities withdraw his license and all on the program should be exposed. then its on my decision to which doctor -out of over 8000 addicts i would like to go to. But if kept secret, we all jeopadize human life.

Sorry and pitty cant reverse what he has done to human but this should ring a wake-up call.

how come nobody on this discussion can spell? maybe those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones…

“we are all human” my ass (sorry for the language)
sure people change and he went to rehab and did all that good stuff
but people lost their lives because of this idiot,
the least they could do is bring him to justice, or atleast they could have suspended his license. this lack of justice just shows how ridiculous our legal system is. my heart goes out to all those who had to put up with this dramatic situation

I’m shocked!!! I WAS HIS PATIENT!
I knew something was not right because I attended a meeting before my surgery for breast cancer information. I spoke briefly with Dr. Debra Johnson and mentioned that Dr. West was my surgeon. She rolled her eyes and you could tell there was a problem (he had been in her practice), but she would not tell me what it was. She just said he was a good surgeon and did not encourage me to find another surgeon! I feel angry at Dr. Johnson about now. She knew but protected him.

I have to wear a partial prothesis even though I have had reconstruction (which can be uncomfortable over the implant) because I don’t match in size and I still have a very significant scar after 8 years.

I knew that his life was a mess after the surgery. I once met him in a store after my surgery, but I was still having follow up visits. He started telling me all this very personal (and totally inappropriate) stuff about the women in his life. One had a murder contract out on him, went to jail and he ended up engaged to her jailer!

Just remembered somethin else. Right before my surgery, my friend said he made a very sexual comment that was so embarrassing to her that she never even told me what it was! I don’t remember a thing because I was already sedated.

What a poorly researched story!!! You need to mention that the most common reason that a physician’s license is revoked is substance abuse. Medical professionals are among the most closely monitored people in America and diversion programs are an important part of that monitoring. I wonder how many people at CNN are substance abusers? I bet it is more than 1%!

Good heavens. Shocking that the US medical system allows things like this to happen.
I am a Canadian vacationing in Florida and hope I don’t get sick in the USA. That’s scarey.
US talk shows, among other sources I hear in the US about the Canadian healthcare system constantly spout absolute lies about our system. ” Free” my butt. Not perfect but a hell of a lot better than the US system. We don’t go bankrupt over healthcare like so many unfortunate Americans do. Some media types claim the US healthcare system is the best in the world. Rediculous! Google healthcare systems and see where the US stands.
The Canadian government, not Canadian insurance companies, contol the healthcare system and taxes cover a large part of the costs. Socialistic? Really? Then do independent US insurance companies cover the cost of the US military, police and fire departments, infastructure,