HOUSTON (AP) — A Houston hospital said it halted its liver and kidney transplant programs after discovering a doctor manipulated records for liver transplant candidates, making them ineligible for transplants.
Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center said in a statement published Thursday in the Houston Chronicle that “inappropriate changes … effectively inactivated the candidates on the liver transplant waiting list.”
Memorial Hermann's statement did not name the doctor, but the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, known as UTHealth Houston, issued a statement calling Dr. Steve Bynon ”an exceptionally talented and caring physician" with survival rates that are “among the best in the nation.” The New York Times first reported that Bynon was the doctor being accused.
Bynon is an employee of UTHealth Houston who is contracted to Memorial Hermann. UTHealth said that its faculty and staff members, including Bynon, are assisting with the inquiry into Memorial Hermann’s liver transplant program and are “committed to addressing and resolving any findings identified by this process.”
Memorial Hermann said in a statement provided to The Associated Press on Friday morning that it has been working with impacted patients after making the “difficult decision” to voluntarily inactivate both its liver and kidney programs, and that they are working with UTHealth “to make the necessary changes that will allow for the quick reactivation of the kidney transplant program under a different physician leadership structure.”
Memorial Hermann stopped the liver transplant program April 3 after learning of “irregularities” with donor acceptance criteria. An investigation found problems with information entered into a database used to match donor organs with patients, but the hospital did not provide details.
The “irregularities” were limited to liver transplants, the hospital said, but kidney transplants were halted because the programs share the same leadership.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is aware of the allegations, and an investigation is underway, according to a statement from the agency.
The Houston Chronicle reports that, according to data from the Organ Procurement Transplantation Network, Memorial Hermann has seen an increasing number of liver transplant candidates die while on the wait list or become too sick for a transplant in recent years. Four patients died or became too ill for a transplant in 2021, 11 in 2022, 14 in 2023, and five so far in 2024, according to the data.
A statement from OPTN to The Associated Press on Friday said it could not comment on “any potential or ongoing review of a member organization.”
The UTHealth statement said that Bynon treated “patients with higher-than-average acuity and disease complexity.”
Memorial Hermann has not said how long the programs will remain shuttered. The hospital said it is contacting the 38 patients on the liver program transplant list and 346 patients on the kidney transplant list.
Patients on the waiting lists do not receive organ offers when the transplant program is halted, but they accumulate waiting time, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. The patients may also be on multiple transplant waiting lists or transfer their wait time to another program, although each program has its own criteria for evaluating and accepting transplant candidates.
In Houston, Houston Methodist, Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center and the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center also offer transplant programs.
Buildings associated with Memorial Hermann Hospital and medical complex are visible Friday, April 12, 2024 in the Medical Center district of Houston. Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center has halted its liver transplant and kidney transplant programs. The Houston Chronicle reported Thursday that the hospital discovered a doctor manipulated records for liver transplant candidates. (Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Buildings associated with Memorial Hermann Hospital and medical complex are visible Friday, April 12, 2024 in the Medical Center district of Houston. Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center has halted its liver transplant and kidney transplant programs. The Houston Chronicle reported Thursday that the hospital discovered a doctor manipulated records for liver transplant candidates. (Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Buildings associated with Memorial Hermann Hospital and medical complex are visible Friday, April 12, 2024 in the Medical Center district of Houston. Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center has halted its liver transplant and kidney transplant programs. The Houston Chronicle reported Thursday that the hospital discovered a doctor manipulated records for liver transplant candidates. (Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Buildings associated with Memorial Hermann Hospital and medical complex are visible Friday, April 12, 2024 in the Medical Center district of Houston. Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center has halted its liver transplant and kidney transplant programs. The Houston Chronicle reported Thursday that the hospital discovered a doctor manipulated records for liver transplant candidates. (Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via AP)
HONG KONG (AP) — Asian stocks fell Wednesday with most of the markets in the region closed for a holiday. Meanwhile, U.S. stocks closed out their worst month since September.
Oil prices were lower and U.S. futures were mixed.
Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index lost 0.8%, down to 38,089.09 in early trading after the country’s factory activity experienced a milder shrink in April, as the manufacturing purchasing managers’ index from au Jibun Bank rose to 49.6 in April from 48.2 in March. A PMI reading under 50 represents a contraction, and a reading of 50 indicates no change.
The yen continues to struggle. On Wednesday, the U.S. dollar rose to 157.89 Japanese yen from 157.74 yen.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dipped 1.2% to 7,574.20. Other markets in the region were closed due to the Labor Day holiday.
On Tuesday, the S&P 500 tumbled 1.6% to cement its first losing month in the last six, and ended at 5,035.69. Its momentum slammed into reverse in April — falling as much as 5.5% at one point — after setting a record at the end of March.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1.5% to 37,815.92, and the Nasdaq composite lost 2% to 15,657.82.
Stocks began sinking as soon as trading began, after a report showed U.S. workers won bigger gains in wages and benefits than expected during the first three months of the year. While that’s good news for workers and the latest signal of a solid job market, it feeds into worries that upward pressure remains on inflation.
It followed a string of reports this year that have shown inflation remains stubbornly high. That’s caused traders to largely give up on hopes that the Federal Reserve will deliver multiple cuts to interest rates this year. And that in turn has sent Treasury yields jumping in the bond market, which has cranked up the pressure on stocks.
Tuesday’s losses for stocks accelerated at the end of the day as traders made their final moves before closing the books on April, and ahead of an announcement by the Federal Reserve on interest rates scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
No one expects the Federal Reserve to change its main interest rate at this meeting. But traders are anxious about what Fed Chair Jerome Powell may say about the rest of the year.
GE Healthcare Technologies tumbled 14.3% after it reported weaker results and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. F5 dropped 9.2% despite reporting a better profit than expected.
McDonald’s slipped 0.2% after its profit for the latest quarter came up just shy of analysts’ expectations. It was hurt by weakening sales trends at its franchised stores overseas, in part by boycotts from Muslim-majority markets over the company’s perceived support of Israel.
Helping to keep the market’s losses in check was 3M, which rose 4.7% after reporting stronger results and revenue than forecast. Eli Lilly climbed 6% after turning in a better profit than expected on strong sales of its Mounjaro and Zepbound drugs for diabetes and obesity. It also raised its forecasts for revenue and profit for the full year.
Stocks of cannabis companies also soared after The Associated Press reported the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will move to reclassify marijuana as a less-dangerous drug in a historic shift. Cannabis producer Tilray Brands jumped 39.5%.
The earnings reporting season has largely been better than expected so far. Not only have the tech companies that dominate Wall Street done well, so have companies across a range of industries.
In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.67% from 4.61%.
Benchmark U.S. crude fell 76 cents to $81.17 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, lost 72 cents to $86.51 a barrel.
In currency trading, the euro cost $1.0658, down from $1.0663.
A person passes the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York. Global shares are trading mostly higher as investors keep their eyes on potentially market-moving reports expected later this week. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan)
A person looks at an electronic stock board showing Japan's stock prices at a securities firm Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Tokyo. Asian shares mostly rose Tuesday, as investors kept their eyes on potentially market-moving reports expected later this week. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A window cleaner works along the window of at a securities firm building Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Tokyo. Japanese characters read as "securities." (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan Yen/U.S. dollar exchange rate at a securities firm Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Tokyo. Asian shares mostly rose Tuesday, as investors kept their eyes on potentially market-moving reports expected later this week. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A person stands in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Tokyo. Asian shares mostly rose Tuesday, as investors kept their eyes on potentially market-moving reports expected later this week. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Tokyo. Asian shares mostly rose Tuesday, as investors kept their eyes on potentially market-moving reports expected later this week. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
People pass by an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index, left, and U.dollar/Japanese yen conversion rate at a securities firm Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Tokyo. Asian shares mostly rose Tuesday, as investors kept their eyes on potentially market-moving reports expected later this week.(AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
People stand in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Tokyo. Asian shares mostly rose Tuesday, as investors kept their eyes on potentially market-moving reports expected later this week.(AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
