PHOENIX
– The attorney for the Arizona Medical Board presented
its case to permanently revoke the license of Peter Normann,
an Anthem physician whose license was suspended in
July.
The
case stems from complaints filed against Normann after
three patients died while in his care after undergoing
plastic surgery treatment.
Administrative
Law Judge Daniel G. Martin presided over the hearing and
listened as Assistant Attorney General Anne Froedge presented
the board’s case against Normann.
Frodge
recited the events that allegedly took place that led
to Normann’s suspension.
She
recommended the revocation citing repeated violations
restrictions put on Normann’s practice prior to his July
suspension.
Froedge
called Normann’s record keeping into question and called
attention to the “appalling” rate in which Normann’s patients
had to return to his office for further treatment, Roger
Downey, board spokesperson, said.
An
outside plastic surgery consultant stated the records
kept for the first two patients who died “abysmal” and
the patients were not properly intubated by Normann during
emergency treatment.
Several
false statements made by Normann during his May and June
suspension hearings were brought to the judge’s attention
and he may have falsified the records of the three patients
in question, Downey said.
Normann
was also charged with dispensing medication without proper
certification, using unlicenced laser equipment and performing
medical procedures in which he was not qualified.
The
judge would not allow media into the courtroom citing
the privacy of the deceased.
An
attorney for a local television affiliate argued the media
has a right in the courtroom as
well as a camera to broadcast the proceedings.
Cameras
are a sign of the openness of the judicial system and
should be allowed due to strong public interest in the
case, the attorney said.
Judge
Martin ruled against media citing his concerns for the
anonymity of the deceased.
He
said he’d never ruled in favor of the media where the
names of
the victims were not inadvertently leaked to the public.
“The
right of privacy doesn’t service death,” Martin said.
The
attorney then asked the judge to close the portions of
the meetings containing sensitive testimony to the media.
He
was again denied.
The
judge will present his findings and make his recommendations
as soon as possible to the board.
Final
judgment could come at the September of October board
meeting, Downey said.
Normann’s
whereabouts are unknown.
