A premier L.A. County educating hospital has fired one in all its highest-ranking docs following a two-year investigation that discovered he usually gawked on the genitalia of anesthetized sufferers and by no means disclosed that he was being paid by a medical machine firm whose merchandise he used on sufferers.
Employees members at Harbor-UCLA Medical Middle, a public hospital run by the county, advised investigators that Dr. Louis Kwong typically appeared underneath the surgical covers of Black males who had been underneath anesthesia and mentioned the “genitals of the day,” in keeping with his discharge discover, which was obtained by The Occasions.
Kwong additionally mentioned his favourite intercourse positions and his desire for “auto-erotic asphyxiation,” his colleagues advised investigators.
Moreover, investigators discovered that Kwong, an orthopedic surgeon, obtained greater than $700,000 from the medical machine firm Zimmer Biomet, which makes joint replacements, with out reporting the battle of curiosity to the county. He flew twice on the corporate’s personal airplane to its Indiana headquarters with medical residents from the hospital, in keeping with the Feb. 27 discover informing him of his firing.
The discharge discover makes no point out of the gun that Kwong, a volunteer deputy sheriff, had allegedly carried within the working room and different components of the hospital, in keeping with a lawsuit filed by colleagues in October. The discover does say that he violated county coverage by bringing a private knife into the working room on not less than one event.
“Your inappropriate, disparaging feedback and actions had been offensive, and created an uncomfortable, hostile, and demoralizing work setting for others,” Griselda Gutierrez, the hospital’s chief medical officer, wrote within the discover.
A lot of the misconduct described within the discover had been reported years in the past to the county, elevating questions in regards to the inaction of hospital leaders. Kwong’s secretary complained greater than a decade in the past that her boss would comment on the grooming of anesthetized sufferers’ pubic hair, The Occasions beforehand reported. A physician flagged Kwong’s battle of curiosity with Zimmer Biomet to the well being division’s chief medical officer in 2016, in keeping with emails reviewed by The Occasions.
But the hospital didn’t launch an investigation till fall 2021, when it stated accusations in opposition to Kwong had been first “formally reported.” Kwong was positioned on paid depart the next spring, as Sheppard Mullin, a legislation agency employed by the county, spent greater than two years investigating him.
County coverage requires departments most often to maintain paying an worker who’s on depart throughout an investigation. The sluggish tempo allowed Kwong to obtain greater than one million {dollars} with out working. In 2023 — a 12 months wherein Kwong didn’t work a single day — he was the eighth highest paid county worker, in keeping with wage data posted this month.
Between 2021 and 2023, the county obtained seven extra complaints about Kwong, in keeping with his discharge discover. Harbor-UCLA, which treats largely poor and uninsured sufferers from across the South Bay, has been on probation since final summer season after residents complained to a company that oversees educating hospitals of an “unprofessional and poisonous work setting” within the orthopedics division, which Kwong chaired. The hospital is one in all simply six educating hospitals throughout the nation that’s on probation.
Kwong appealed his firing March 20 to the Civil Service Fee, a county physique that may overturn disciplinary selections. In a letter to the fee, Kwong’s legal professional stated her shopper denied or had no recollection of practically all of the allegations of inappropriate conduct and believed he was liable to turning into the county’s “scapegoat.”
“Dr. Kwong disagrees with the County’s resolution to terminate his employment and denies the manufactured allegations in opposition to him,” legal professional Michelle Finkel Ferber wrote in an electronic mail to The Occasions. “Dr. Kwong seems to be ahead to defeating these sensationalized claims by means of the appeals course of, not within the press.”
Dr. Louis Kwong would usually deliver a gun into Harbor-UCLA Medical Middle, in keeping with lawsuits filed this October by three docs on the educating hospital.
(Handout)
Moreover his consulting work for Zimmer Biomet, Kwong was dinged by the county for not disclosing his employment with the Lundquist Institute, a non-public analysis facility subsequent door to Harbor UCLA. Many Harbor docs additionally work as scientists on the institute.
“Zimmer Biomet and Lundquist not solely compensated you on your work however supplied you with monetary incentives for enterprise referrals, which created a transparent battle of curiosity because the Division had contracts with them,” the discover stated. “Your resolution to cover your employment with these firms for six years demonstrates your propensity for dishonesty.”
In a letter interesting Kwong’s discharge, Ferber stated her shopper was by no means compensated by the Lundquist Institute, and there was no “intent to hide the connection with Zimmer Biomet.” The dearth of disclosure was primarily based on a misunderstanding of county coverage, the legal professional wrote.
The letter additionally said that Kwong most popular Zimmer Biomet units over different implants “primarily based on their scientific report and efficiency outcomes.”
“Kwong’s selections concerning implant alternative are ruled by what’s finest for addressing the affected person’s reconstruction wants,” the letter stated.
Some docs say Kwong’s affiliation with each the Lundquist Institute and Zimmer Biomet was hardly a secret. Till not too long ago, a Google seek for “Dr. Louis Kwong” introduced up his web page on the Lundquist Institute’s website as one of many first outcomes. Kwong was additionally listed as an “affiliate physician” on Zimmer Biomet’s web site, in keeping with the discharge discover.
The Lundquist Institute has since taken down Kwong’s web page. The Occasions may not discover Kwong on Zimmer Biomet’s web site.
In line with the discharge discover, the county’s inside investigators started inspecting Kwong’s relationship with Zimmer Biomet after a grievance in 2021. However emails obtained by The Occasions present the difficulty was flagged for the county 5 years earlier.
On July 26, 2016, Tim Ryan, a former physician with Harbor-UCLA who has since sued the county, emailed a number of colleagues screenshots from ProPublica’s {Dollars} for Docs portal, which reveals funds disclosed by medical machine firms to docs.
Ryan despatched entries for a number of county docs, together with Kwong, whose confirmed he had obtained funds from Zimmer Biomet.
Ryan’s electronic mail was forwarded to Hal Yee, chief medical officer for the Division of Well being Providers.
“Let’s talk about,” Yee responded. “I’m involved about each [conflict of interest] and failure to reveal.”
The Division of Well being Providers didn’t instantly reply to questions in regards to the steps it took to comply with up.
Two years later, Kwong posted a photograph on his Fb web page of himself and his residents in entrance of a small airplane, writing that he was on his solution to Warsaw, Ind., the place Zimmer Biomet is headquartered.
The identical picture was later posted on a bulletin board at Harbor, in keeping with a photograph of the board considered by The Occasions.
Harbor-UCLA Medical Middle, which acts as a security internet for poor and uninsured sufferers from across the South Bay, has been on probation since final summer season.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Occasions)
After becoming a member of the county in 2007, Kwong ascended by means of the orthopedic division, nabbing the plum assignments of division chair and program director for residents. He obtained glowing efficiency critiques his final two years on the job, in keeping with his discharge discover, with evaluators noting that he had “far exceeded expectations.”
However his rise was dogged by complaints that always went ignored.
In 2013, Maria Garibay, then a medical secretary, advised the county’s human sources division that Kwong would have discussions together with his employees in regards to the ladies he operated on and “the variations wherein they groom their pubic areas.” In 2019, a medical pupil accused Kwong of getting into an working room to peek “underneath the hood” and take a look at a affected person’s genitalia. The feedback, posted on a website used to charge orthopedic packages, had been flagged for the hospital’s director of threat administration, who responded that that they had “began engaged on this.”
Some docs say the 10-year delay in addressing complaints not solely put the hospital in jeopardy however allowed a tradition rife with racism and inappropriate habits to fester.
In line with Kwong’s discharge discover, three folks advised investigators that residents referred to Black sufferers as BAP, which reportedly stood for “Black Offended Sufferers.” Two docs said that Kwong in contrast two Black residency candidates as “brother versus brother.” Throughout a gathering, a resident said {that a} Black candidate “appeared like he raped cheerleaders,” the discover said. One other physician used a racial slur in a textual content message.
The discover additionally paints an image of a division with a locker-room ambiance, the place Kwong and a few of his employees had been fixated on the genitalia of sufferers.
Male genitalia had been proven at an annual end-of-year “roast,” a physician advised investigators, the place it “was commented that sure feminine residents prefer it on prime.”
A technician as soon as advised the surgical workforce to “take a look at” an anesthetized affected person’s penis as a result of it was “very giant,” main Kwong to raise the surgical drapes, the discover stated. A physician heard Kwong talk about whether or not a affected person was a “grower or bathe,” and a doctor assistant stated Kwong joked about taking a look at genitalia of Black male sufferers whereas they slept.
Employees additionally advised investigators that Kwong in contrast conducting a hip alternative to “discovering the ‘G-spot,’ ” made a sexual innuendo about “hammering a affected person” and commented on the fats rolls of feminine sufferers.
A few of these allegations about the orthopedics division burst into public view final 12 months after three docs sued the county, saying they had been bored with watching complaints in opposition to Kwong stall.
Jennifer Hsu, one of many three docs, stated she had been advised nothing about Kwong’s departure regardless of sitting for hours in interviews with investigators.
“They’ve been extraordinarily opaque — it seems intentionally so,” she stated.
The Division of Well being Providers declined to reply questions on Kwong — together with whether or not he was given a severance fee or may obtain a pension — and would verify solely that he not labored with the county. The division stated in an announcement that it couldn’t touch upon personnel issues however that Harbor-UCLA has “zero tolerance” for misconduct by employees.
“We’ve got established clear channels for reporting allegations of misconduct to allow them to be completely investigated,” the division stated. “We want to specific our gratitude to those that utilized this course of to deliver their considerations to our consideration.”
To Garibay, the assertion rings hole. Within the aftermath of her 2013 grievance, she stated, she was transferred to a distinct workplace, away from Kwong.
“They only brushed all the pieces beneath the carpet,” she stated. “I would like everybody to understand how soiled the county did me.”
