Iowa doctor agrees to refrain from surgery, pay $5,000 fine

A former Cedar Rapids brain and spine surgeon who was accused of “gross malpractice” by state regulators has agreed to pay a $5,000 fine and refrain from performing surgery.

David Segal recently reached a settlement with the Iowa Board of Medicine, documents released this week show. The board, which licenses physicians, filed administrative charges against him in 2015. The allegations included that he failed to prevent "excessive infections" among his patients and that he used an inappropriate technique to manage leaking spinal fluid after operations. The board also accused Segal of failing to arrange to have another doctor care for his patients when he was absent.

The board said in a press release that Segal, 50, stopped performing surgery last May, because Parkinsonism caused his hands to be unsteady. “Dr. Segal continues to provide non-surgical medical services including, but not limited to, medical consultations, medical record reviews, and independent medical examinations,” the board wrote. In addition to paying the fine, Segal agreed to undergo training in professional ethics. He also repaid $11,580 that he’d been overpaid for services, the board said.

His lawyer, Guy Cook, said Friday that Segal denies providing poor medical care, but agreed to settle the case to avoid further legal costs. “Dr. David Segal is a highly trained and well respected neurosurgeon. He has successfully performed thousands of surgeries, including brain surgery. His superior skill as a neurosurgeon is well documented,” Cook wrote in an email to the Register. He said that due to Segal’s health issues, the doctor voluntarily stopped performing surgeries “out of an abundance of caution.”

Read more: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/health/2016/12/23/iowa-doctor-agrees-refrain-surgery-pay-5000-fine/95802186/