Houston hospital halts liver and kidney transplants after learning doctor manipulated some records

HOUSTON– A Houston hospital says it has suspended its liver and kidney transplant programs after discovering that a doctor manipulated records of 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… have effectively inactivated candidates on the liver transplant wait 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 accused doctor.

Bynon is a UTHealth Houston employee hired by Memorial Hermann. UTHealth said its faculty and staff, including Bynon, are assisting in the investigation of 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 affected patients after making the “difficult decision” to voluntarily deactivate its liver and kidney programs, and that it is working with UTHealth “to make o necessary changes that will allow rapid reactivation of the kidney transplant program under a different medical leadership structure.”

Memorial Hermann halted its liver transplant program on April 3 after learning of “irregularities” in donor acceptance criteria. An investigation found problems with information entered into a database used to match donor organs to 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 waiting list or become too sick for a transplant in recent years. Four patients have died or become too sick to be transplanted 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 Bynon treated “patients with above-average acuity and disease complexity.”

Memorial Hermann has not said how long the programs will remain closed. The hospital said it is contacting the 38 patients on the liver transplant list and 346 patients on the kidney transplant list.

Patients on the waiting list do not receive offers of organs when the transplant program is interrupted, but they accumulate waiting time, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. Patients may also be on multiple transplant waiting lists or transfer their waiting 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 Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center also offer transplant programs.