Houston hospital says doctor’s changes to a database made patients ineligible for liver transplants

By JAMIE STENGLE and CARLA K. JOHNSON
Associated Press

A Houston hospital has halted its liver and kidney transplant programs after it says a doctor manipulated a database for liver transplant patients, making them ineligible to receive a new organ. Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center said in a statement Friday that their ongoing investigation found that a doctor had made “inappropriate changes” in a database for people awaiting liver transplants. Memorial Hermann’s statement didn’t name the doctor, but the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, or UTHealth Houston, issued a statement defending Dr. Steve Bynon, calling him ”an exceptionally talented and caring physician” with survival rates that are “among the best in the nation.”