Gastric Bypass Surgery Expert Witness

Education

A.B., Washington and Jefferson College, Washington PA, 1968
M.D., Hahnemann Medical College, Philadelphia 1972 (Honors in Surgery)
M.P.A. (Master of Public Administration, Government, City University, Bellevue WA, 1996

Graduate Training:
Residency, General Surgery, Hahnemann Hospitals, Philadelphia., PA  1972-77
Fellowship, Vascular Surgery, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan 1977-78

Board Certification:
Certified, American Board of Surgery, 1980
Recertified, American Board of Surgery, 1990
Recertified, American Board of Surgery, 2000

Medical Licenses:
Illinois (inactive) Pennsylvania (active), Louisiana (active)

Present Positions

General practice, NOLA Health Care, New Orleans, LA
I provide primary care clinic services to medically indigent patients in medically underserved areas in uptown New Orleans.

General practice, Medical Specialists of New Orleans. I provide primary care services to mostly medically indigent underserved patients in and around New Orleans by way of clinic appointments and Medicare Home Health Care home visits.
Past Positions

Staff physician, Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital, Fort Polk, Louisiana.
I helped establish, and practiced in a program for treatment of, and administrative actions necessary relative to active-duty US Army soldiers suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)  incurred in the present wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I also did pre-deployment and post-deployment health assessments, and Aerospace Medicine. I provided primary care services.

State of Louisiana, Department of Health and Hospitals, Bureau of Health
Services Financing. I participated in the administration of the Louisiana Medicaid programs principally 4-125. I helped determine eligibility of Louisiana Medicaid claimants as part of the Medicaid Eligibility Determination Team (MEDT). I have reviewed 2783 disability claims according to the criteria set forth in Disability Claims under Social Security (Blue Book June 2006). I have approved an estimated $5.6 million in health care expenditures for otherwise uncompensated medical care since this program’s inception in the spring of 2007.

Med-Chiro, Independence, LA. Primary care related to chronic intractable pain.
Oct. 2006 – Dec. 2007.

Self-employed, medical expert on gastric bypass medical malpractice cases.
March 2004-Aug.2006.

Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, Office of Management and Finance, Baton Rouge, LA, December 2005.
Performed medical-administrative work for the state’s Katrina Disaster Relief Medicaid Program for victims of 2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita who lost access to health care as a result of the storms. Re-formulated policy to adapt federal Title II and XVI guidelines to meet the emergency medical-financial needs of the storms’ affected populaces.  Allocated a conservative estimate of $931,000 in federal and state funds to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita-affected people and their providers. Resolved a 3 ½ week backlog of applications within my first week in Baton Rouge)

Attending Staff Surgeon, Bariatric Treatment Centers at Northwest
Suburban Community Hospital in Belvidere, IL. I have personally performed 1785 and participated in the postoperative care of more than 5500 open Roux-en-Y gastric bypasses since August, 1998. Retired from active surgical practice in March 2004.

Attending Staff Surgeon, PhysicianCare, P.C., and Towanda (PA)
Memorial Hospital.  Member of Bylaws, Ethics, and ICU Committees.
1986- 1998.

US Air Force Hospital, Loring AFB, Maine, 1978-80.  Staff surgeon, and Chief of Hospital Services.
US Air Force Hospital, RAF Upper Heyford, England, 1980-83 (Chief of Hospital Services).

US Air Force Hospital, Elmendorf AFB, Anchorage, AK, 1983-86 (Chief of Hospital Services).

Organizations

Fellow, American College of Surgeons
New Orleans Chapter, American Federation of Musicians Local 174-496
American Radio Relay League (Amateur radio station K3NFU)
US Coast Guard Auxiliary

Military Status

Retired, honorable discharge, Colonel, Illinois Army National Guard, US Army
Status: Reserve

Military Awards & Decorations:
US Army Commendation Medal
US Air Force Commendation Medal
USAir Force Outstanding Unit Award
US Air Force Overseas Ribbon with Cluster
US Army Achievement Medal

Military
US Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine “Aerospace Medicine Course:
Primary Course” (Air Force Flight Surgeon) 1979.
US Army School of Aviation Medicine “Army Aviation Medicine
Orientation Course” (Army Flight Surgeon) 1994.
US Air Force Air War College (Seminar Program) completed 1982.
United States Naval War College completed July 1995.
US Army Combat Casualty Management Course, (C4-A), 1985.

CME
AMA Physician’s Recognition Award for the past five years