Tampa doctor’s license suspended after liposuction fiasco

As reported in the St. Pete Times, a family doctor in Tampa who was performing liposuction had his medical license suspended for a year and was fined $50,000 by the Board of Medicine, after multiple rule violations were found.

According to the news report (link), State health officials said Dr. Yves Jean-Baptiste allowed two people unlicensed to practice medicine – his assistants – to perform the liposuction on the patient. Additionally, the patient’s medical records didn’t show a proper patient examination before the procedure, how much anesthesia was used, or the amount of fat removed. And Jean-Baptiste hadn’t registered his office as a surgical facility, as required by State regulations.

Jean-Baptiste is not a plastic surgeon or dermatologist, and reportedly has no formal surgical background or training. About two years ago, he began to perform cosmetic procedures at his north Tampa practice after completing a three-day “intensive, hands-on training course”. Three days of training….it’s mind-boggling!

Jean-Baptiste said he had performed more than 250 liposuction procedures.

The Board of Medicine’s action was a move to address the growing concern about physicians with limited cosmetic surgery training working in medical spas. “This is really scary,” Brigitte Goersch, an Orlando businesswomen and consumer member of the board, said while rejecting claims that the fines were excessive. “If you want to practice medicine again, then you need to do it safely for the citizens of Florida.”