World-renowned doctor under scrutiny for concurrent surgeries

A New York doctor who is one of the country’s highest-paid surgeons and a specialist in robotic prostate surgery has come under scrutiny for performing concurrent surgeries.

David B. Samadi, M.D., chairman of urology at Lenox Hospital, is under investigation by New York state regulators for allegedly improperly double-booking surgeries, according to The Boston Globe, whose "spotlight team" helped bring the issue of concurrent surgeries into the public eye when it reported on the controversy over the practice at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and other U.S. teaching hospitals.

Samadi has become a flashpoint in the controversy over simultaneous surgery, where one surgeon manages two or more procedures at the same time. In a statement issued to The Globe, Samadi said he stands by his record and reputation. “I assure all my patients that I am there when my skills are promised and required. Every patient gets that same level of care by me and my team,” he said.

The Globe said current and former medical personnel at Lenox Hospital have told regulators and the newspaper that Samadi routinely hands off simultaneous surgeries to unsupervised residents. The state’s Office of Professional Medical Conduct is investigating.

A U.S. Senate Committee last year investigated the practice of concurrent surgeries, which is common practice at 47 hospitals across the country, and in December released a report urging hospitals to prohibit the practice of allowing one surgeon to manage two operations where critical parts occur at the same time.

New guidelines were released last April by the American College of Surgeons that stress informed consent so a patient knows that a surgeon will be performing concurrent surgeries.