Scripps Patient Alleges Abuse by Doctor

Officials at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla have confirmed that
Maurice Buchbinder, a prominent cardiologist, allegedly hit a patient
several times during a procedure, resulting in his indefinite
suspension.
Buchbinder and Scripps Memorial are under a federal investigation after
several lab technicians witnessed the alleged abuse and filed a
complaint with state licensing officials.
According to a statement from Scripps Memorial, the complaint concerned
a patient who underwent a procedure that involved threading a tube
through coronary arteries to detect and unblock various obstructions.
Some patients become unruly and combative during the procedures and, in
such rare cases, it is common to use arm or leg restraints to prevent
patients from injuring themselves or others.
Instead of standard protocol, however, witnesses said Buchbinder hit
the patient repeatedly over different parts of the body to keep the
patient from moving. His actions were described as “abuse” and
“assault.”
“I can confirm the suspension and that there is an investigation under
way,” Scripps spokesperson Don Stanziano said in the statement.
Buchbinder is accused of violating standards of care established by the
federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, prompting a team of
investigators for Medicare and the state to visit the hospital.

UCSD Plans to Build New Cancer Treatment Center

UCSD officials have announced plans to develop a proton and particle therapy cancer treatment center.
More
precise than traditional X-ray radiation treatments, proton and
particle therapy enables doctors to better target and destroy cancerous
tumors.
Faculty members at UCSD’s Moores Cancer Center are developing models
for the treatment center, which would cost about $125 million and could
possibly be built next to UCSD Medical Center and the Moores Cancer
Center.
“I am thrilled that we have taken the first steps toward building a
proton treatment center here at UC San Diego,” professor and chair of
the UCSD department of radiation oncology Arno Mundt said in a press
release. “The development of such a center would place UCSD alongside
other major cancer centers that have built proton centers.”
Proton and particle therapy are available at only a few clinics
nationwide. Over the next several months, plans for the project will
be submitted to the UC Board of Regents for preliminary consideration,
according to university officials.
The heavy costs to build the treatment center, with an estimated
patient capacity of 1,500 people per year, forces university officials
to seek a private-sector partner.