Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center in Houston has halted liver and kidney transplants as it investigates "inappropriate changes" to patient records in a government database, which may have prevented patients from receiving new organs. The hospital is looking into alterations to liver donor acceptance criteria that effectively made candidates on the liver transplant waiting list inactive. The US Department of Health and Human Services is involved in the investigation, and the physician under scrutiny, Dr. Steve Bynon Jr., has been removed from leadership roles in the transplant programs. Patients like Mandy Sears, who has been waiting for a kidney transplant, are left uncertain and concerned about their status amidst the allegations.
Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center in Houston has suspended its liver and kidney transplant programs after discovering that a doctor had made inappropriate changes to a database for liver transplant patients, rendering them ineligible for new organs. The hospital did not name the doctor, but the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston defended Dr. Steve Bynon, who is contracted to Memorial Hermann. The allegations have raised concerns about fairness, transparency, and accountability in the organ allocation system, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is addressing the matter. The hospital is working to ensure affected patients receive necessary care and is collaborating with UTHealth Houston to reactivate the program under different leadership.
A Houston hospital has suspended its liver and kidney transplant programs after discovering that a doctor manipulated records for liver transplant candidates, leading to patients being unable to receive organ donation offers. The doctor, identified as transplant surgeon Dr. J. Steve Bynon Jr., admitted to altering patient records, prompting an investigation by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The hospital is working with affected patients and their families while the programs remain closed, and other medical centers in Houston continue to offer transplant programs.
