Houston transplant surgeon accused of altering records to deny patients organs; program suspended

A decorated transplant surgeon from Houston, Texas, is accused of depriving his patients of new livers by exploiting a government database and altering their records.

Dr. J. Steve Bynon Jr. has been practicing medicine since 1981 and, with his “extensive experience in liver transplantation,” has performed more than 800 procedures during his decades-long career, according to his biography on the Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center website.

According to a statement shared by Memorial Hermann with The New York Times on Thursday, the medical center said Bynon, a doctor in its liver transplant program, admitted to altering patients’ records, thereby denying them a transplant. The outlet also said Bynon was employed by the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston while working at Memorial Hermann.

Bynon, 64, has been hired to lead Memorial Hermann’s abdominal transplant program since 2011, his biography on the medical center’s website says.

Memorial Hermann Voluntarily Disables Liver and Kidney Transplant Programs

According to his biography, Bynon oversaw the liver and kidney transplant programs at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center. Both programs have been voluntarily deactivated while the medical center investigates the allegations against Bynon, the hospital told USA TODAY in a statement Friday.

“Over the past two weeks, we have been actively working with all patients, families and caregivers involved in the liver and kidney transplant programs,” the medical center said. “… Our top priority is to ensure the continuity of compassionate care for patients who were on the hospital’s transplant program lists.”

Transplant care coordinators are contacting patients from both programs to explore other care options, including “a smooth transition to another transplant program, if necessary,” the medical center said.

“We are working with the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston to make the necessary changes that will allow for the rapid reactivation of the kidney transplant program under a different medical leadership structure,” the medical center said in a statement. “All transplant program physicians are employed by the University of Texas Health Science Center and contracted with Memorial Hermann to provide medical services.”.“

The medical center’s investigation is ongoing and they “continue to cooperate with all regulatory authorities,” the statement said.

UTHealth Houston, Bynon Participate in Memorial Hermann Investigation

UTHealth Houston, as the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston is known locally, called Bynon “an exceptionally talented and caring physician and a pioneer in abdominal organ transplantation,” according to a statement emailed to USA TODAY Friday.

“According to the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients, Bynon’s survival rates and surgical outcomes are among the best in the country, even when treating patients with above-average disease severity and complexity,” the statement said. “UTHealth Houston is proud of the many contributions Dr. Bynon and his team have made to our university, our academic and clinical transplant programs, and the field of transplant medicine.”

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UTHealth Houston faculty and staff, including Bynon, are participating in “the investigation of Memorial Hermann’s liver transplant program and are committed to addressing and resolving any issues identified through this process,” the statement said.

Reached by phone by The New York Times on Thursday, Bynon neither confirmed nor denied admitting to altering patient records, the outlet reported.

Dr. J. Steve Bynon Jr.’s Alleged Conduct ‘Highly Inappropriate,’ Colleague Says

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the United Network for Organ Sharing are also investigating the allegations against Bynon, according to a statement obtained by The New York Times.

“We recognize the seriousness of this allegation,” HHS said in its statement. “We are working diligently to address this issue with the attention it deserves.”

Dr. Sanjay Kulkarni, vice chair of the United Network for Organ Sharing’s ethics committee, called Bynon’s alleged conduct “highly unusual” and “highly inappropriate,” according to The New York Times.

“They are staying home, maybe not traveling, thinking that they might get an organ offer at any time, but in reality, they are functionally inactive and so they are not going to get that transplant,” Kulkarni told the outlet.

Memorial Hermann patients removed from liver transplant waiting list due to death or serious illness

Last year, 14 Memorial Hermann patients were removed from the center’s waiting list because they died or became too ill, according to the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients, which evaluates transplant centers in the United States. The death rate for people waiting for transplants at the medical center was higher than expected, the researchers said.

A hospital spokeswoman told The New York Times that the medical center was treating more seriously ill patients than average.

Memorial Hermann performed 30 liver transplants and 132 kidney transplants in 2023, the Houston Chronicle reported.

It is not yet known how many patients were on Memorial Hermann’s waiting list before both transplant programs were shut down.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Houston surgeon Steve Bynon accused of withholding livers from patients