Has any doctor or medical professional in any field of practice
ever acted unethically or inappropriately during an office visit or hospital stay?
Were you injured, mislead,
uninformed, or treated unfairly by a physician or while in any medical setting?
Have you ever been contacted by
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As a consumer of medical
services and as a citizen of your state you have a right and a duty to wage a complaint if
you believe you were uninformed, mislead, treated unfairly, or injured by a physician or
while in any medical setting.
If your physician did not
properly inform you before your tubal ligation, if your current doctor is not offering you
help or treatment, or if any doctor or medical professional in any field of practice has
ever acted unethically or inappropriately with you, or injured you, your state board needs
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For more information, or to request assistance, click here |
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Politics of
Medicine
California Medical Board (CMB)
I do not practice medicine in California.
I do not diagnose, I do not treat, or prescribe.
My work in California is about writing,
creating products and services for women,
and exposing medical abuses.
I lost my medical license in California in 1996.
I can reapply for my CA license as of 9/1999.
While the CMB is the agency which revoked my license, I
do not hold them accountable. The CMB is composed of legal staff and investigators who
rely solely on information given to them from my peers and foes in the medical community
and from organizations such as the Quackbusters.
BMQA and CMA
Dr. Hufnagel was married to a prominate investment banker lawyer who was involved in a
variety of stock schemes. He kept his business and sexual activities hidden from her. She
was negligent in staying married to him despite his poor treatment of her, theft of her
money and signs of perversion. She spent her time working for women's issues and failed to
take care of her own life.
She reported all suspected criminal activities to the proper authorities when she learned
of Robert Schuster's activities with his various business partners. She did this before
her divorce. She found the activities of wealthy powerful men to swindle the public
disgusting.
She is writing a book on this Taboo in the Hypatia Media section of this site. As a result
of her coming forward on these issues a series of unfortunate events which the authorities
failed to see the links went on for some five years. During this time she was raided by
the CMB who broke into her home caused significant damage and damaged her life by taking
her evidence files and computers.
The CMB however is a regulatory agency. They respond to charges be
they legitimate or not. In 1999 (prior to the CMB's raid of
Dr. Hufnagel's home) the California Medical Board ordered Dr. Hufnagel
to remove the initials "M.D." from her name and sanctioned
her $500 for having used the title "M.D." publicly.
The title MD is a title she earned upon graduation from medical
school, and is not something the CMB or anyone can take. This
should have been understood by the CMB prior to their action, but
some one was able to persuade them to take this action upon her.
While resolving this matter with the CMB, the CMB agent
suggested that to provide full informed disclosure that a link should be provided from her
website to the CMB. This was done as suggested by the CMB. To get direct
information use this link to the CMB.
We are posting here also the National Physician's Data
Base concerning Dr. Hufangel's reporting with response from Dr. Hufnagel for your review.
(click here)
For the supporters of Hufnagel the actions of the CMB
were extreme and should of been corrected early on. Had Hufnagel the funds to fight
legally things would have been different. Also the agents should of had sense enough
to stop the raid once they saw they had been duped by some one or someone's with the
ridiculous claim she was operating out of her kitchen. This action caused great harm to
Hufnagel. It also was a black cloud on the CMB as well.
Over time council for the CMB and an agent of the CMB
made significant steps to try and heal this situation. We are all working towards this
effort as well.
The revocation of Dr. Hufnagel's medical license was not
with the CMB but the BMQA.
Years ago the Board was completely different in it
formations and activities. It was the BMQA who revoked Dr. Hufnagel not the CMB. Since
that time the Director of the BMQA was fired for his unfair policies and many reforms took
place in the CMB. Based on these reforms a request for reinstatement under Reversible
error is being submitted to the CMB.
The full story of these difficult years can be found in Taboo a book about her marriage
and Behind the Ivory Towers a look into the structure of the medical community. See
Hypatia Media for all books and publications.
TIME LINE OF HISTORICAL EVENTS
Dr. Vikki Hufnagel, M.D. filed the first sexual harassment case in Los Angeles against a
hospital. She charged Dr. M. Wade and Cedars Sinai Medical Center (CSMC) with sexual
harassment and other abuses.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reviewed the case and determined it had
merit. Dr. Hufnagel charged Dr.Wade with rape and claimed that Dr. Wade informed her he
was having sex with some of his patients. He also stated he claimed to be intimate with
Cybil Sherpard.
Dr. Hufnagel charged she was thrown off staff when she refused to marry Dr. Wade. Wade
testified to asking her to marry him and to having sex with her. This is in the deposition
documents. Records that CSMC tried to seal from the public. As of this date, Hufnagel has
never had a hearing on this matter, despite the Superior Court order to Cedars to complete
the administrative hearings years ago.
She was told by Gloria Alread at the time, that sexual harassment was not an issue for the
courts, and that an attorney would go up against CSMC. Dr.Hufnagel could not find
proper representation, nor could she afford to battle the Ivory Towers of CSMC.
As a result of her removal from CSMC, a CMB hearing took place. The final outcome of that
hearing found that Dr. Hufnagel practiced medicine above the community standard; she had
done no wrong. The chairman of the committee also found that she had been professionally
and personally attacked by Dr. Wade. The CMB officer stated that the CMB would protect
Hufnagel from further actions by Dr. Wade. No action was ever taken against Dr. Wade.
Dr. Hufnagel also reported several GYNS for rape or having sex with patients. The CMB
never investigated these cases. Instead, the CMB appointed Dr. Wade to head its Ethics
Committee.
Senator Diane Watson contacted Dr. Hufnagel and asked her to investigate hysterectomy
abuses. The end result was a government document that exposed these abuses:
"Hysterectomies in the United States 1965-84" Vital and Health Statistics, 1987,
Series 13, No.92, DHHS Pub. 87-1753.
She then wrote and had passed the nation’s first informed consent law for
hysterectomy (CA SB835). Dr. Hufnagel is the only ob/gyn physician, ever in the history of
the United States, to write such laws for consumer protection and she did so in
California, New York and Texas. This law has never been enforced and is not made
known to female patients facing a hysterectomy.
During the Senate hearings, Dr. Lauren White, CMA and John Whitlow, ACOG threatened Dr.
Hufnagel that they would have her medical license lifted (removed) for her exposing the
abuse of hysterectomy (She had written "No More Hysterectomies," worked on
informed consent laws, testified in court cases, and so on.). Dr. White physically pushed
Hufnagel and screamed at her how he was working with Wade to destroy her career. This was
witnessed by Carole Beck and Trica Aude who provided declarations to the CMB about the
incident.
Many threats and break-ins to her offices took place during this time period. The CMB then
filed charges against Dr.Hufnagel. The main charge was that she refused to perform a
hysterectomy. The hearings went on over two years and cost many hundreds of thousands of
dollars in legal fees causing severe hardship. At the end of these hearings, Judge Robert
Neher found that Dr. Hufnagel had not harmed anyone. Judge Neher gave Dr. Hufnagel
probation.
The CMB, without meeting and without the transcripts and files to review, refused Judge
Neher’s findings and revoked Hufnagel’s medical license. This is proven because
the clerk documented the date of the transcripts being completed and the revocation
occurred before this. Also, there was never a recorded meeting to determine the revocation
by the committee. This is documented.
The Rama Haggerty Case: The refusal to do a hysterectomy case was also tried in the
Superior Court of Santa Monica with Judge Harris. The result was a 12/0 verdict in favor
of Dr. Hufnagel. It was evident that Rama Haggerty had lied in the administrative hearings
before Judge Neher. Her husband, Patrick, made it clear, that Rama had lied the entire
time. The CMB and Judge Neher were both informed of the perjury of Rama Haggerty. Dr.
Eugene Parks, the expert witness for the CMB, also committed perjury.
Both the CMB and Superior Court Judge Yaffe refused to take judicial notice of the verdict
in Hufnagel’s favor in the Rama Haggerty case. No action was ever taken in response
to the obvious perjury by the CMB witnesses. The Administrative Judge for Los Angeles was
given proper notice and he took no action. Her ex-spouse, Robert Schuster, handled
billing in her practice. Mr. Schuster, an attorney, never had any actions taken against
him for wrongdoings he admitted to.
Four other cases in Superior court were dropped under Judge Rothman. In hopes that the
"witch hunt" would end, Judge Rothman made a Judicial Record that no wrongdoing
was found against Dr. Hufnagel, of any kind, and that these nuisance cases had been
removed from the court. The CMB and Judge Yaffee refused to take judicial notice of this
action by the court and of Judge Rothman’s statements.
During the Judge Neher hearings, evidence of malpractice and fraud, by other physicians,
was documented in the court records and the CMB files. The CMB had evidence that Dr.
Lazarus made improper records and billings. Dr. Bernstein perforated a uterus, failed to
diagnose or treat, and left a dead fetus in a patient. Dr. Rubenstein admitted to placing
a probe into the bowel of a patient and billed for procedures she never did.
The CMB took no action on these admitted abuses that had been uncovered.
Bizarre statements by experts for the CMB were entered into the record as
"truth." Dr. Mason stated that women had no physical orgasm, and that sex was
totally in a woman’s head. Another female gynecologist stated, "you never cut
into a uterus to remove fibroids." Dr. Mason and Dr. Parks claimed that you NEVER
repaired a perforated uterus. Dr. Parks stated that , "No one billed globally."
These statements were accepted as truths by Judge Neher. These are not truths and have
never been truths.
Judge Yaffe had stayed the CMB from revoking Dr. Hufnagel’s medical license. He
stated maybe...maybe Dr. Hufnagel did not give Rama all her options. Yet, when Yaffe found
that Rama had lied, he took no action. Then, several years later, he signed for revocation
reversing his earlier comments without any mention of any reason or fact.
He signed the court document saying that he had reviewed the entire case. He had been
instructed to review the entire case. However, it became evident that he had not reviewed
the evidence files or the full transcripts. He lied in his court document. He had admitted
to only reading the initial transcripts of the CMB experts against Dr. Hufnagel. He never
read the cross-examination nor any of the more than 30 volumes. The evidence files and
court documents were boxed and had not been opened or looked at by Yaffee. On the order he
signed, he had to cross out that he reviewed the entire case because he did not. This is
all documented and is in the court record.
This is totally bizarre that a Superior Court Judge crosses out his document because it
was false and did not represent the truth. A request for review of this issue, by the
Judicial Council, was formally made and no action was ever taken.
At this point, the CMB had changed the appeal laws. Physicians had lost their right to
appeal in the State of California. Dr. Hufnagel had top legal counsel Melanie Lomax file
an appeal. Lomax later told Hufnagel that she (Lomax) had failed to be aware that the law
had changed. Hufnagel paid many thousands of dollars in legal fees to Frank Fresinda who
had no idea about the appeal laws changing. Hufnagel had no idea that an appeal did not
exist.
During this time period, Dr. Hufnagel had her entire case reviewed by the
United States OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL (OIG). The OIG found that Dr. Hufnagel
provided care above the standard of care prevailing in California and throughout the
nation. The OIG also found that Hufnagel had not committed any of the wrongdoings alleged
against her by the CMB.
It also found that her Female Reconstructive Surgery (FRS) was unique and a skill needed
to repair women. The OIG approved her as a private surgeon given permission to operate at
any United States military base in the world. Dr. Hufnagel was sent to operate and use FRS
to teach at a U.S. military hospital after her California license revocation.
Dr. Hufnagel was asked by Commissioner Conran to testify before the Grace Commission
because the issues concerning Dr. Wade, Dr. White and Whitlow were exposed to the
Department of Consumer Affairs. The end result was the removal of Wagstaff and his staff
from the CMB. The Grace Commission was to review her case under the Department Head of
Consumer Affairs head Conran through the investigations by the California Highway Patrol.
Commissioner Conran left and the review never took place.
The right to appeal was removed and the case was not heard based on this new law.
In 1998, all of Dr. Hufnagel’s personal things were taken and removed from her home.
Her bank accounts disappeared, IRA and retirement plans were gone with Mr. Schuster’s
leaving.
Her medical office equipment and office equipment for three large offices all disappeared
in 1998. She filed proper police reports but the police made no investigation. In December
of 1998, a witness filed a report saying that Mr. Schuster attempted to run over Dr.
Hufnagel with his new Mercedes. The witness saw Mr. Schuster do this.
In July 1999, her records and documents, including books
she had written for publication, perished in a suspicious fire that was later ruled to be
an "arson".
Reapplication process was to take place 9/1999.
After years of harassment in the courts, retiring Judge Schimmer commented to Dr.
Hufnagel, "Now I see what you have been through in trying to tell the truth about
hysterectomy. What you said years ago now is understood to be true."
The same physicians who years ago testified against Dr. Hufnagel, who denounced her work
and her position on hysterectomies, now claim they are doing her surgical work. Now that
her work has been proven correct, these physicians now claim they studied with her and
supported her.
In a CBS news spot in October of 1986, Dr. Judith Reichman claimed, on camera, that
"there were no unnecessary hysterectomies performed..." and that,
"hysterectomy had no negative side effects to women." She and other female CSMC
physicians contributed to the personal attacks upon Dr. Hufnagel and the attacks on her
work.
Prior to her testifying on issues concerning Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Dr. Hufnagel met
and conferred with Rabbi Mier. She was active in the Jewish Medical Ethics group.
She was the only physician at Cedars who testified and assisted the parents of children
who had contracted AIDS from the Cedars blood supply. Anyone can contact Bruce Kasper as
to these horrific events. His daughter died from AIDS contaminated blood. CSMC had
the highest rate of this infected blood in the nation.
Dr. Rubenstein (CSMC) in the early 1980’s created a blood drive that targeted the
West Hollywood gay community. Dr.Hufnagel informed the Infectious Disease Department, that
through a patient she admitted, that GRID (now called AIDS) was in the community. Despite
this notice, Dr. Rubenstein continued the campaign to have the blood drive centered in
West Hollywood. Many parents of the children that died never learned about the CSMC blood
drive focus on West Hollywood.
In the mid 1980’s, Dr. Hufnagel was physically attacked at her office, by two men,
who stated, that if she testified to help Bruce Kasper, she would be killed. Her office
was broken into and the files she kept on AIDS at Cedars were removed. The independent
films her production company had in production in 1995 were cleaned out. All the video and
video equipment, valued at over $500,000, were removed. This was witnessed. The police
failed to charge the individuals seen in the theft with any criminal charges.
The film she had been making, "BAD BLOOD," exposed the AIDS blood contamination
at CSMC. The film along with the files and records were all taken.
There is far too much to tell in this long story. The
untold story of all the complexities will be told in her book, BEHIND the IVORY
TOWERS. Because there are documents in the court, Dr. Hufnagel can reveal the names and
actions of the people who attacked her for revealing the abuse of hysterectomy, and the
other abuses she uncovered. The story is so complex and convoluted that it is difficult to
believe it happened.
Who would believe, that a Superior Court judge would revoke a person's ability to earn a
living, and irreparably harm that person's profession, all the while knowing, that he did
not review the case as was required of him? And further, who would believe, that when the
failure to review was brought to the judge's attention, he would simply cross out the
statement on the revocation order declaring that he had done the review, and sign the
order anyway?
Similarly, who would believe a federal judge telling Dr. Hufnagel she is smart and does
not need an attorney?
She uncovered silicone complications, the use of silicone
in Ovabloc, tubal ligation castration, tampons causing toxic shock syndrome, Provera
causing heart disease, complications of Premarin, the lack of equity in health care,
problems with the Sabin vaccine, problems with the blood supply, and more...
*The Court documents support this outline
*A full text of "Behind the Ivory Towers"
perished in the July 1999 arson fire
which destroyed all of Dr. Hufnagel’s files and works.
*The data and opinions singularly expressed in the
1980’s by Dr. Hufnagel,
have been proven to be correct over time. Ironically, many of the physicians, who attacked
her in the 1980’s, now tell patients they studied and learned from her, to attract
patients to their practices.
*The ACOG opposed SB 835 and Dr. Hufnagel early on. Ultimately, they hired a crisis
management public relations (PR) firm to attack Dr. Hufnagel, to silence her speaking out
and uncovering abuses that the ACOG covered up. This PR firm orchestrates campaigns to
handle crisis issues. They represent companies and organizations such as the ACOG, the
AMA, and major hospitals. These attacks against Dr. Hufnagel are currently ongoing.
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"...you are the messenger
and they will try to kill you. You have not only the knowledge of how things can be
improved...