An osteopathic physician who faces dozens of medical malpractice lawsuits in West Virginia now faces the loss of his medical license in another state.
An osteopathic physician who faces dozens of medical malpractice lawsuits in West Virginia now faces the loss of his medical license in another state.
The Alabama Board of Medicine has scheduled a May 28 hearing in its efforts to revoke the medical license of John A. King, 49.
The Alabama board's formal complaint cites two medical malpractice cases involving King. Those cases happened in October and November 2006, while King was working at American Family Care clinics in Trussville and Eastman, Ala., both near Birmingham.
American Family Care fired King a few days after he apparently overdosed Renee Blackman, leaving her unconscious for 26 hours.
According to a lawsuit filed by Blackman and her husband, King overdosed her with an antihistamine called Phenergan, putting her in a coma.
A day later, King overdosed a second patient, Misty D. Shephard with Phenergan and Valium, according to the Alabama medical board.
The board's order said it wanted to revoke King's license for, among other reasons, "inadequate patient assessment," "performing unjustified procedures" and "poor medical judgment and diagnostic acumen."
The order added that King failed to "appropriately communicate" with other physicians who had seen his patients.
Earlier this month, Larry D. Dixon, executive director of the Alabama medical board, signed a resolution adopted by the board on Jan. 2. The resolution stated King was "practicing medicine or osteopathy in such a manner as to endanger the health of the patients" and exhibited "a demonstrated lack of basic medical knowledge or clinical competency."
Back in February 2006, the Alabama board "reprimanded" King for credentialing problems in West Virginia, Texas, New York and Michigan.
The Alabama board concluded that King "committed fraud in applying for and procuring a license to practice medicine or osteopathy in the state of Alabama" and "made fraudulent and untrue statements" by not reporting his licensing problems in other states.
At the time, the Alabama board fined King $2,500 and ordered him to complete a medical ethics course before the end of 2006.
Since 2004, King has surrendered or had his license suspended in nine states: West Virginia, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia.
An osteopathic physician who faces dozens of medical malpractice lawsuits in West Virginia now faces the loss of his medical license in another state.
The Alabama Board of Medicine has scheduled a May 28 hearing in its efforts to revoke the medical license of John A. King, 49.
The Alabama board's formal complaint cites two medical malpractice cases involving King. Those cases happened in October and November 2006, while King was working at American Family Care clinics in Trussville and Eastman, Ala., both near Birmingham.
American Family Care fired King a few days after he apparently overdosed Renee Blackman, leaving her unconscious for 26 hours.
According to a lawsuit filed by Blackman and her husband, King overdosed her with an antihistamine called Phenergan, putting her in a coma.
A day later, King overdosed a second patient, Misty D. Shephard with Phenergan and Valium, according to the Alabama medical board.
The board's order said it wanted to revoke King's license for, among other reasons, "inadequate patient assessment," "performing unjustified procedures" and "poor medical judgment and diagnostic acumen."
The order added that King failed to "appropriately communicate" with other physicians who had seen his patients.
Earlier this month, Larry D. Dixon, executive director of the Alabama medical board, signed a resolution adopted by the board on Jan. 2. The resolution stated King was "practicing medicine or osteopathy in such a manner as to endanger the health of the patients" and exhibited "a demonstrated lack of basic medical knowledge or clinical competency."
Back in February 2006, the Alabama board "reprimanded" King for credentialing problems in West Virginia, Texas, New York and Michigan.
The Alabama board concluded that King "committed fraud in applying for and procuring a license to practice medicine or osteopathy in the state of Alabama" and "made fraudulent and untrue statements" by not reporting his licensing problems in other states.
At the time, the Alabama board fined King $2,500 and ordered him to complete a medical ethics course before the end of 2006.
Since 2004, King has surrendered or had his license suspended in nine states: West Virginia, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia.
King was licensed in Alabama in 1985 and apparently still holds licenses in Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York and Oklahoma.
He faces 121 medical malpractice suits in West Virginia from his time at Putnam General Hospital between November 2002 and June 2003. The lawsuits, all of which were filed in Putnam County, are now before U.S. District Judge John Copenhaver.
Lawyers for Putnam General and Hospital Corporation of America - the nation's largest for-profit hospital chain that owned Putnam General when King was there, asked for the transfer after King filed for personal bankruptcy in Alabama in November.
In his bankruptcy filing, King listed $500 in personal assets - the value of his 1983 Volvo - and $125,204 in liabilities, which might be underestimated since he listed only $1 in debts to several creditors.
King lives with his mother in Birmingham, according to the address in the bankruptcy filing.
After he left West Virginia, he briefly legally changed his name to Christopher Wallace Martin, then changed it back.
Biomet, a company that makes orthopedic devices, is also mentioned some of the West Virginia malpractice suits against King.
King apparently misused an "ionic spacer" made by EBI, a subsidiary of Biomet, to replace whole vertebrae in patients' spines.
King, according to the lawsuits, improperly inserted the "ionic spacer" inside spinal vertebrae without using the company's safety device to prevent further spinal damage or collapse.
In May 2007, The New York Times reported that federal prosecutors had subpoenaed documents related to products sold by EBI.
Biomet, which was bought by private equity firms for $10.9 billion in December 2006, told the Times it was cooperating with a subpoena issued by federal prosecutors in Southern West Virginia. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Charleston did not return a telephone call on Friday about that investigation.
To contact staff writer Paul J. Nyden, use e-mail or call 348-5164.
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