Quick Links
- A-Z Index
- Physician Survey Data
- Role of the Medical Board of California
- Members and Executive Staff
- Committees and Task Forces
- Board and Committee Meetings
- Media Room
- Job Opportunities
- Complaints/Comments About the Board
- Important Phone and Fax Numbers
- District and Probation Office Locations
- Link to Groupwise Web Access
News Release — February 27, 2006
MEDICAL BOARD OF CALIFORNIA
February 27, 2006
Medical Board of California Accusation Leads
To Surrender of Palm Desert Physician's License
SACRAMENTO—Facing an Accusation of unprofessional conduct by the Medical Board of California, Palm Desert physician Jane Espejo Norton, M.D. has surrendered her medical license. The stipulated surrender of her license was accepted by the board on February 17, 2006 and became effective on February 24, 2006. Additionally, Norton agreed she shall be forever barred from filing a petition for reinstatement of her license or filing an application for a new license, meaning she shall never again practice medicine in California. Norton's license was suspended on September 30, 2004, as the result of the issuance of an Interim Suspension Order (ISO), and remained suspended up to the time she surrendered her medical license. The ISO was based upon a finding that permitting Norton to continue to engage in the practice of medicine would endanger the public health, safety, and welfare. Medical Board Executive Director Dave Thornton stated, "The mission of the Medical Board is to protect healthcare consumers. We work diligently to achieve our mission by vigorously enforcing the Medical Practice Act."
On June 2, 2004, in the case entitled United States of America v. Jane Norton, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Norton was convicted of two counts of violating Title 18, United States Code, sections 1003 and 1002, as a result of her submitting to the United States Small Business Administration a fraudulent loan application seeking disaster business loans and submitting a letter to the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency falsely claiming that a piece of medical equipment belonging to her medical practice had been destroyed as a result of Hurricane Floyd.
The Accusation filed by the board further alleged that Norton committed multiple acts of gross negligence and unprofessional conduct in her care and treatment of a 56-year-old female patient with multiple medical problems, by: (1) performing multiple, prolonged, elective cosmetic surgical procedures on her, an unhealthy patient, in an outpatient setting with insufficient postoperative care and no preoperative medical clearance; (2) performing cosmetic liposuction and dermabrasion on the patient, who, at that time, had large, non-healing, open wounds from prior surgeries that Norton had previously performed on her; (3) leaving the patient, sick and deteriorating, in the care of a medical assistant after one of the surgeries, rather than leaving her in the care of a competent physician; and (4) performing one of the surgeries even though she knew that she would be out of town after the surgery, and failed to arrange for adequate physician coverage for her patient.
********
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.
###
