Endoscopy doctors: Where are they now?
Where are the doctors who practiced at Las Vegas endoscopy clinics associated with the outbreak of hepatitis C now? Mostly, they’re still here. Profiles of the 14 doctors:
DIPAK DESAI
President, secretary, treasurer, manager and doctor; managing partner, Gastroenterology Center of Nevada.
Medical education: Gujarat University, Ahmedabad, India.
The basics: Was 65 percent owner of the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada. Was chief of gastroenterology for University Medical Center and Valley Hospital Medical Center. Chaired internal medicine at North Vista Hospital. Taught gastroenterology at the University of Nevada School of Medicine and served on the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners from 1993 to 2001.
Desai had a history of issues with the board long before the Endoscopy Center case: He settled two malpractice cases, including a $40,000 agreement in 2002 after it was alleged that he failed to diagnose colon cancer and a $12,500 settlement after it was alleged that he failed to properly diagnose appendicitis in 1983. He paid the board $2,500 in 1996 after it charged him with "advertising the practice of medicine in a false, deceptive or misleading manner" – saying members of his practice were board-certified in gastroenterology when they were not.
Post-scandal: Surrendered his medical license a month after the hepatitis outbreak came to light. He later suffered a stroke, and in October faces trial in Clark County District Court on 28 felony charges, including racketeering, insurance fraud and patient neglect. In November he is to be tried in U.S. District Court on conspiracy charges and 25 counts of health care fraud. Waiting with him as co-defendants in Clark County District Court are nurse anesthetists Keith Mathahs and Ronald Lakeman. Former clinic manager Tonya Rushing is a co-defendant in federal court.
ELADIO CARRERA
Doctor, Gastroenterology Center of Nevada; partner (14 percent owner) of Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada.
Medical education: University of Texas, Southwestern Medical School, Dallas.
The basics: A doctor for 32 years. Board-certified in gastroenterology.
Post-scandal: The state Board of Medical Examiners in April 2008 accused him of failing to use reasonable care performing colonoscopies despite "knowing or being in a position to have known" that unsafe practices could imperil patient health and safety. The complaint, citing three patients who contracted hepatitis C from Carrera’s practices, said he violated patients’ trust, exploited the physician-patient relationship for financial gain and "brought the medical profession into disrepute." A Clark County District Court judge issued a temporary restraining order on April 30, 2008, preventing him from practicing medicine.
In July 2009, the state board placed him on 24 months of probation, fined him $15,000 and barred him from performing gastroenterology without an "appropriate level of control regarding practice and policies which affect patients" while on probation. It asked that the restraining order be dismissed.
Carrera completed the settlement’s terms in July and no longer has any conditions or restrictions on his medical license. He helped found Great West Medical Associates at 5195 S. Rainbow Blvd. two months after the outbreak became public and practices gastroenterology both there and in an office at 1701 S. Bearden Ave.
CLIFFORD CARROL
Doctor, Gastroenterology Center of Nevada; manager, Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada.
Medical education: State University of New York at Buffalo.
The basics: A doctor for 25 years. Board-certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology.
Post-scandal: The state Board of Medical Examiners filed a formal complaint against Carrol in November 2008 alleging he failed to use reasonable care or skill when a patient under his care transmitted hepatitis C to others. The board dismissed the complaint without prejudice, which means board members could revisit the complaint if they have new evidence.
In a separate high-profile case, Carrol settled a malpractice complaint for $2 million after pharmacist Kevin Rexford sued him for failing to detect cancer during a 2005 colonoscopy completed in less than half of the recommended time. Rexford became a vocal critic of Desai’s endoscopy centers in 2008, advising patients that hepatitis C wasn’t their only concern and urging them to have their cancer checks redone elsewhere. Medical experts said Rexford would have had an 80 percent chance of survival in 2005. When a different doctor spotted the malignancy a year later, Rexford’s chance of survival was 10 percent. He died in 2009 at 47.
In June 2011, as part of a settlement of a 2010 complaint that he "failed to use reasonable care, skill or knowledge" in performing two colonoscopies, Carrol agreed to complete eight hours of continuing education on documenting colonoscopies or on advances in colonoscopy; to allow random review of his medical charts for six months; and to reimburse about $6,000 in investigative costs. Board records show he met those terms in September.
Carrol practices with Carrera, without conditions or restrictions, at Great West Medical Associates.
VISHVINDER SHARMA
Manager, Spanish Hills Surgical Center; manager, Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada. Desai’s partner in Spanish Hills Surgical Center, a Spring Valley endoscopy clinic.
Medical education: Armed Forces Medical College, University of Pune, Maharashtra, India.
The basics: A doctor for 29 years. Board-certified in gastroenterology. Former member of the Nevada State Board of Health.
Post-scandal: Sharma resigned from the Board of Health about a month after the outbreak became public. The state Board of Medical Examiners took no action against him in the Endoscopy Center case, but did report that he settled a malpractice lawsuit for $90,000 after a patient claimed he misdiagnosed a ureter injury following a sigmoid colectomy in 2005. He practices with Carrera and Carrol at Great West Medical Associates.
DIPESH BANKER
Doctor, Gastroenterology Center of Nevada.
Medical education: Ross University School of Medicine, Dominica, West Indies.
The basics: A doctor for 12 years. Board-certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology.
Post-scandal: Practices at Digestive Associates, 2031 McDaniel St. No record of Board of Medical Examiners complaints, malpractice settlements or judgments.
SNEHAL DESAI
Doctor, Gastroenterology Center of Nevada.
Medical education: University of Alberta, Edmonton.
The basics: Licensed to practice medicine in Nevada since 2004. Board-certified in gastroenterology and internal medicine. It’s unknown if he is related to Dipak Desai.
Post-scandal: No complaints or malpractice settlements on record with the state Board of Medical Examiners. Practices with Banker at Digestive Associates.
FRANK FARIS
Doctor, Gastroenterology Center of Nevada.
Medical education: Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
The basics: A doctor for 25 years, Faris is board-certified in gastroenterology.
Post-scandal: No complaints or malpractice settlements on record with the state Board of Medical Examiners. He helped establish Great West Medical Associates in 2008. Now practices at Frontier Gastroenterology Center, 3150 N. Tenaya Way.
CARMELO HERRERO
Doctor, Gastroenterology Center of Nevada.
Medical education: Ponce School of Medicine, Ponce, Puerto Rico.
The basics: A doctor for 21 years. Board-certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology.
Post-scandal: The state Board of Medical Examiners took no action against him related to the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada. A January 2010 complaint alleging he performed an unnecessary colonoscopy was dismissed in April 2010. Practices at South Hills Gastroenterology, 2625 Wigwam Parkway.
DAVID MANUEL
Doctor, Gastroenterology Center of Nevada.
Medical education: American University of the Caribbean, St. Maarten.
The basics: A doctor for 11 years. Board-certified in gastroenterology and internal medicine.
Post-scandal: The only Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada doctor to leave Las Vegas, he practices in Illinois and is affiliated with hospitals Oak Park and DeKalb, about 65 miles west of Chicago. He also writes articles on food poisoning and intestinal disorders for WebMD and other sites. The state Board of Medical Examiners no longer lists Manuel’s license history, but the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation shows Manuel has had no disciplinary actions against him since he obtained his medical license there in April 2008.
ALBERT MASON
Doctor, Gastroenterology Center of Nevada. Performed endoscopies and colonoscopies at Desert Shadow Endoscopy Center on Burnham Avenue.
Medical education: Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University, New York.
The basics: A doctor for 34 years. Board-certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology. Former chair of the department of medicine, the division of gastroenterology and the physicians’ aid committee at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital in Fountain Valley, Calif.
Post-scandal: No record of complaints or malpractice judgments. Practices with Herrero at South Hills Gastroenterology.
RANADEV MUKHERJEE
Doctor, Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada.
Medical education: Calcutta National Medical College, India
The basics: A doctor for more than 20 years. Board certifications in internal medicine and gastroenterology expired in 2010 and 2007.
Post-scandal: No record of complaints or malpractice settlements. Practices at Digestive Associates with Banker and Snehal Desai.
SANJAY NAYYAR
Doctor, Gastroenterology Center of Nevada.
Medical education: Government Medical College, Patiala, India
The basics: A doctor for 20 years. Board-certified in gastroenterology.
Post-scandal: No complaints or malpractice settlements on file. Practices at Digestive Associates with Banker, Snehal Desai and Mukherjee.
SHAHID WAHID
Doctor, Gastroenterology Center of Nevada.
Medical education: Liaquat Medical College, University of Sindh, Pakistan.
The basics: A doctor for 21 years. Board-certified in gastroenterology.
Post-scandal: No history of complaints or malpractice judgments. Practices at Digestive Associates with Banker, Snehal Desai, Mukherjee and Nayyar.
NICOLAE WEISZ
Doctor, Gastroenterology Center of Nevada.
Medical education: Ohio State University College of Medicine
The basics: Formerly worked as a gastroenterologist in Dallas. Board-certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology.
Post-scandal: No history of complaints or malpractice judgments. Works at the Center for Colon and Digestive Disease.