Who Is Looking Out For You, Arizona? Part 2

: Image by DennisSylvesterHurd via Flickr

Who Is Looking Out For You, Arizona? Part 2

Dr. Hammer was victorious in court against the AMB. Dr. Hammer did ask the court to award him his attorney’s fees from the AMB and that award was granted, we are told, to the tune of approximately $300,000! That $300,000 payment that the AMB made to Dr. Hammer came from the state of Arizona. That’s right, you, me, and all of the other taxpaying citizens of this fine state had to pay (and be held accountable) for the improper acts, the Ineptitude, the dishonesty, and the violations of AMB rules and possibly, state laws by AMB staff. This fact is confirmed on the AMB website. As far as we know, no AMB staffer has been fired or held to task in any way. Lorraine Brown remains employed and still handles complaints against physicians (sort of like having the fox guarding the henhouse???), former executive director Timothy Miller has moved on to another position, and present executive director Lisa Wynn continues to reign over her motley cast of characters, pursuing their mission to “protect the citizens of Arizona!” Certain AMB employees have been falsely asserting that Dr. Hammer was only paid $98,000. Why would they lie about the amounts that WE all had to pay to Dr. Hammer due to their ineptitude, dishonesty, and possible criminal acts? What a joke!

In our investigation of “investigator” Johansen, we have found that she does not hold an investigators license from the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS). Vicki Johansen appears to have no qualifications to work as an investigator at all. In the state of Arizona, any individual who works as an investigator, or whom acts as an investigator, must be licensed by the DPS to work. Incredibly, there is a statutory exemption for “investigators” who work for state boards or agencies! Upon inquiry, the AMB has refused to comment on the training and/or qualifications that AMB investigators must have. There is record of a Vicki Johansen being a certified nursing aide whose license is inactive, however. Nonetheless, Ms. Johansen, Lorraine Brown, and anyone else who works as an investigator must be held to the exact same standards that any licensed investigator in the state of Arizona must adhere to. As of 1/20/2010, we have found out that Ms. Johansen is no longer employed at the AMB. We wonder why she left???

So ask yourself is the AMB fulfilling their mission statement? Or has the AMB been transformed into a rogue state agency that runs its own agenda in an unfettered and unregulated vacuum? Should they be allowed to employ seemingly incompetent and dishonest staff as “investigators”? Individuals who could not work anywhere else as “investigators” because they are not adequately trained? Notice that we have not mentioned the board members themselves herein. We believe that the actual board members are basically honest and do the best job that they can. The fatal flaw here is that the AMB staff operates with impunity and without any effective oversight by the board members themselves, or by the state, for that matter.

This is a dangerous situation and it appears that Dr. Normann was able to kill his third victim because AMB staff was so focused on bringing down Dr. Eli Hammer that they failed to follow up on their weak and inept initial handling of Dr. Normanns’ first two victims (deaths in his office).

We also wonder if outside medical consultant, Edward Eades, MD, acted in a cavalier and inept manner. Was Dr. Eades complicit in the AMB’s failure to monitor Dr. Normann after two inexplicable deaths? It is our opinion that, at THAT time, enough evidence existed that Dr. Normann was an imminent threat to the citizens of the state of Arizona, and that Dr. Hammer clearly was not. Who is looking out for you, Arizona?

At present, the AMB appears to have withdrawn from their formerly hyper-aggressive prosecutorial stance against the Physician community of this state. There have been overwhelming recriminations across the board at the AMB with board employees virtually running scared because “Dr. Hammer nearly took away our entire operating budget” with his award of attorneys fees! There is a sentiment that further such awards must be avoided at all costs. Consequently, bad decisions are not being reconsidered and, in many cases, good decisions are not being made for absolutely the wrong reasons. Ineptitude, dishonesty, incompetence, and possible criminal acts seem to be a part of the day to day business ethic at the AMB.

It is our opinion that the third patient death at Dr. Normanns’ hands was allowed to occur because the AMB failed to monitor Dr. Normann while they were focused on their own personal vendetta against Dr. Hammer. It is our opinion that every staff member, including the executive director, should be held accountable for their actions herein. If they are found culpable, they should be terminated and, in the cases where perjury, or any other criminal acts, may have occurred, and where their negligence may have been so egregious, it is our opinion that the AMB staff (including the executive directors-past and present) should face criminal charges.

No one is above the law. It is also our recommendation that an individual who works as an “investigator” should at least have some training and/or education as an investigator and that they should have a law enforcement background. A state “investigator” should be qualified to work as an investigator! We also recommend that any state employee who has made false statements at a formal hearing (Lorraine Brown), who signs critical orders without even the slightest query or vetting (the interim executive director, Amanda Diehl), and that any employee who commits, or may have committed (pending investigation-which has been stonewalled) crimes, or any executive director who refuses to discuss, acknowledge, or act upon such matters (Lisa Wynn), should be fired immediately. It is time to clean house at the Arizona Medical Board and restore the public trust. We must stop the corruption now and restore the AMB to focusing on their stated mission:

“The Board’s mission is to protect public health and safety.”

Too many people have died and too many good physicians have been harmed by an agency run amok!

**We would like to point out that our attentions herein are entirely focused on the executive and administrative arms of the AMB. We believe that the actual board members are honest, diligent, and hard working individuals who, essentially, donate their services to our fine state.

Next; AMB rules are made to be broken, but only by AMB staff! More incompetence, cover-ups, and serial failure in the mission of the AMB.

Steven Gitt, MD, FACS