Dr. David Redwine faces Oregon state Medical Board disciplinary action

I am beside myself…

Bend Doctor Responds to License Threat
Tami Sawyer’s Former Physician May File Appeal
By Barney Lerten, KTVZ.COM
POSTED: 5:13 pm PDT October 29, 2010
UPDATED: 4:22 pm PDT October 30, 2010

BEND, Ore. — A Bend gynecologist facing state Medical Baord disciplinary action over involvement with now-indicted real estate broker (and former patient) Tami Sawyer said Saturday his license is still valid and he’ll be back to work Monday.

Dr. David Redwine, who won a still-unpaid, hefty judgment against a company run by Tami and Kevin Sawyer, faces possible suspension or revocation of his medical license over state findings of “unprofessional or dishonorable conduct” and “gross or repeated acts of negligence” involving Tami Sawyer.

“The board has not diminished my license at all. I’ll be seeing patients Monday and I’m scheduled to operate Tuesday,” said Redwine, who has less than two weeks to seek an appeal hearing or face as-yet undetermined consequences that could range from revocation or suspension of his license to practice medicine, to a fine or reprimand.

Redwine told KTVZ.COM he is out of town visiting family and “will be talking with my attorney about filing an appeal hearing.”

The physician said he could not speak to the issues until he discusses matters further with his attorney, but added, “We need to let the process take its course.”

The Oregon Medical Board issued a complaint and notice of proposed disciplinary action Oct. 21 against Redwine, a physician and surgeon specializing in endometriosis and gynecology.

The state’s findings come nearly a year after Tami Sawyer filed a malpractice lawsuit against him, accusing him of a consensual sexual relationship with her when she was a patient and improperly prescribing medicines to her and her family members.

The state findings detail much of the same claims, showing that Redwine disputes Sawyer’s claim of how long the relationship lasted.

Sawyer claimed this week that no judge in the area would hear the malpractice case and had recused themselves.

Last week, Tami and Kevin Sawyer were indicted on 21 federal charges of fraud, conspiracy and money-laundering charges. They are due for arraignment in Eugene Nov. 8.

Tami Sawyer agreed in March 2009 to a judgment on behalf of their company, Starboard LLC, in a lawsuit filed by Redwine and wife Laurie against the Sawyers’ company, Starboard LLC, for more than $800,000 invested in the company that they never got back.

Sawyer almost went to jail on contempt of court charges a year ago, for refusing to divulge details of the company’s finances, but the Oregon Court of Appeals stayed that order, saying she was likely to prevail on appeal. The judgment has not been paid.

The state Medical Board complaint says Redwine first provided obstetric and gynecological care for Sawyer, identified as “Patient A,” in the late 1980s and they also began business transactions in the late ‘90s, including Redwine making loans to Sawyer for real estate investments.

According to Sawyer, the two “entered into a sexual relationship beginning in 1999 and culminating in the fall of 2007,” the complaint said, while Redwine recalled “a shorter time span” of “a sporadic sexual relationship beginning in late 2004 and extended into 2005.”

The state complaint says Redwine “wrote various prescriptions” for the patient between 2004 and 2007, and also “wrote occasional prescriptions for (Sawyer’s) family members at her request, without the benefit of conducting an examination or maintaining a chart.”

In 2005, the complaint says Redwine “performed a breast examination on (Sawyer) in a social setting that was witnessed by a family member and friend.” It says Redwine terminated their doctor-patient relationship in an April 2008 letter.

Greta Matus, an investigator with the Oregon Medical Board, said Friday the nature of the disciplinary action against Redwine has not been decided. If Redwine does not seek a contested case hearing, the complaint said that will result in a dfault order by the board as it “deems appropriate.”

Sawyer told KTVZ.COM on Friday, “It’s very sad it’s come to this.”

“Why David’s attorney … deposed me about David and (my) past relationship is still a mystery to me,” she wrote.

“He had to know that when all of my attorneys read it, there would be further investigation surrounding that fact,” Sawyer said.

“Lives and careers have been ruined,” she added. “It’s just incredibly sad to me.”

I just want to scream, “How dare you be rotten like so many others out there! You were supposed to be one of the good ones!”

There just aren’t enough good endometriosis surgeons out there as it is, and he is ranked as one of the rock stars out there. I have recommended him for years. To fall from grace like that – who loses? The patients lose.

No one has (yet) accused him of butchery like some of the other former rock star surgeons out there have been accused, but his disciplinary action is still a tragedy because he used very poor judgement while emotionally and sexually involved with a patient, and emotionally involved with her family.

Even if his medical license does not get revoked, I will never see him now, and I will not recommend him.

You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Mr. Redwine. I am heartbroken.