News Release — December 16, 2004

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December 16, 2004

Medical Board of California Accusation Leads to
Surrender of San Bernardino Physician's Medical License

SACRAMENTO—Facing a formal Accusation by the Medical Board of California for multiple violations of the Medical Practice Act, San Bernardino physician Sunil Kumar Bhasin, M.D. has surrendered his license to practice medicine. On December 9, 2004, the Division of Medical Quality accepted this surrender, which becomes effective on December 16, 2004.

The Medical Board accused Bhasin of violating multiple sections of the Business and Professions Code, including sections 2234(b), (c), (d), (e) (gross negligence, repeated negligent acts, incompetence and dishonesty); section 2261 (making false statements); section 2262 (alteration of medical records); section 2266 (maintaining inadequate and inaccurate medical records); section 725 (excessive treatments) and section 810 (insurance fraud). In the First Amended Accusation, filed July 24, 2003, it is first alleged that Bhasin's medical care and treatment of a 2 and 1/2 year-old patient in 1998 constituted an extreme departure from the standard of medical practice, as well as his being repeatedly negligent and incompetent. Specifically, after Bhasin's telephonic order to admit the child to the hospital, after she arrived via the Emergency Room due to the inhalation of one or more hard beans, he failed to arrive at the hospital later that evening to assess the condition of the child. In addition, he also failed to respond to multiple pages by pediatric nursing staff when the child's medical condition began deteriorating within hours of admission. When he finally did telephonically respond, and was advised of the child's deteriorating condition, he further failed to arrive at the hospital to evaluate the child even though he had been informed that she was still wheezing and her oxygen saturation levels were dropping. By refusing to respond to the hospital, he failed to adequately evaluate and initiate appropriate therapy in a timely manner for a patient he had ordered admitted to the hospital for unresolved stridor and wheezing. In doing so, he failed to order appropriate laboratory tests and imaging studies, or seek appropriate medical consultation by a specialist, for a child who had a potentially critical condition and who ultimately died from an undetected bean that was later found to be lodged in her airway.

In the First Amended Accusation, it is also alleged that Bhasin committed insurance fraud by knowingly presenting false and fraudulent insurance claims for payment of well-child immunizations. Bhasin was initially terminated as a provider by Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) after two audits found that some of his billing forms were altered so they would appear to have dates of service that would fall within billing time frame requirements. The audits also found that Bhasin's medical records for these patients were altered to match the billing forms submitted with altered dates of service and his medical record progress notes were also found to be altered to match dates on the billing forms submitted for payment.

In the agreement to surrender his medical license, Bhasin, with the assistance of counsel, agreed that, at a disciplinary hearing, the Medical Board could prove the charges and allegations set forth in the First Amended Accusation and that he has thereby subjected his medical license to disciplinary action.

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The mission of the Medical Board is to protect healthcare consumers through the proper licensing and regulation of physicians and surgeons and certain allied healthcare professions and through the vigorous, objective enforcement of the Medical Practice Act.

If you have a question or complaint about the healthcare you are receiving, the board encourages you to visit its Web site at www.caldocinfo.ca.gov or for questions call the Consumer Information Line at (916) 263-2382, or with complaints call (800) 633-2322.

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