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News Release — October 15, 2002
MEDICAL BOARD OF CALIFORNIA
October 15, 2002
Medical Board Accusation Leads to Surrender of
San Diego Physician's Medical License
SACRAMENTO-Facing a formal Accusation of wrongdoing by the Medical Board of California, San Diego physician Howard I. Heilbrunn, M.D. has surrendered his license to practice medicine. The stipulated surrender of his medical license was ordered on October 3, 2002 and became effective October 10, 2002.
The Medical Board accused Heilbrunn of violating Business and Professions Code section 2234 (b) and (d) in that he was grossly negligent and incompetent in his care and treatment of an elderly patient over a period of five years from 1992 to 1995. He failed to consider the diagnosis of a primary lung carcinoma or a metastasis in an older female with a history of heavy smoking and prior breast cancer. He also failed to have the patient undergo a timely CT scan after first learning of the mass in the left medial portion of the lung.
Despite a radiologist's reading of the same patient that noted a possible large mass in the lower chest area, not present in a previous examination but which could be further evaluated with a CT scan, Heilbrunn never ordered the CT scan. Over the next five months, two more chest x-rays were taken revealing a small mass in the lung. Again, he saw the patient and made no note of the x-ray finding. Six months later, Heilbrunn saw the patient and ordered a routine x-ray which he noted showed what he assumed was a hiatal hernia. Approximately one year later, suffering a GI bleed, the patient was referred for more x-rays that revealed a mass in the lower lung. Heilbrunn did not learn of the lung mass for another month at which time he discussed with the family the possibility of carcinoma. The patient died five months later from large cell lung cancer.
Heilbrunn signed a Stipulated Settlement and Disciplinary Order agreeing that at a hearing the Board could establish a factual basis for the charges in the Accusation and therefore surrendered his license to avoid further expense and possible disciplinary action.
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The Medical Board of California is the state agency responsible for licensing and regulating physicians in California.
www.medbd.ca.gov
Information about specific physicians: (916) 263-2382
Complaint line: (800) 633-2322
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