Monday, July 16, 2012

Why do homebirth advocates hire providers with terrible safety records?



I admit it; I don't get it.

Will someone please explain to me why anyone hires a health care provider who is facing multiple malpractice suits, or has lost her license, or has pleaded guilty to a felony? Exactly how "educated" could you be if you take the time to research a provider's history and then ignore what you find? How can you risk your baby's life by hiring someone who has already hurt, perhaps fatally, other women's babies?

This is not the first time I have posed these questions. I don't understand how anyone could possibly hire midwife Karen Carr, after she pleaded guilty to felony charges in the preventable death of a baby; I don't understand how anyone could possibly hire midwife Evelyn Muhlhan after learning that license was suspended for egregious malpractice. And I don't understand how anyone could hire Dr. Robert Biter who is currently facing revocation of his license for 7 separate instances of malpractice.

But someone did hire him, and her baby is dead.

According to a review posted on Yelp on July 9, 2012:
This is an extremely dangerous doctor who should have his license revoked. His poor judgement resulted in the death of a baby boy 42 1/2 gestation. He should never be allowed near any pregnant women. Beware of him and read all the reviews about him. Google Robert Biter MD malpractice and see the damage he has done. An accusation was filed with the medical board in March 2012 revealing 7 cases in which he disregarded proper procedure and practice resulting in one death and 6 tortured women. I'm sure the women who rave about him have all had healthy children and that is wonderful unfortunately there are too many cases where he has taken unnecessary risks and lied about them which resulted in traumatic endings. His disregard for the health and safety of the mother and child coupled with his inability to work in any of the area hospitals should be enough to make you think. Don't let his charisma trick you into thinking you can trust him. He comes off so sincere yet there is a dangerous man underneath that laidback smile. I beg you to find someone else to help you in the most precious experience of home delivery.
I had already heard about the death before I read that review. According to the information I received, the mother was a 37 year old woman expecting her first child at 42+ weeks. She ruptured her membranes and proceeded to labor for days. She had been pushing for more than three hours when her temperature "suddenly" jumped from 100 to 104 over a period of a few minutes and there were unspecified problems with the fetal heart rate. The patient was transferred and on arrival at the hospital, there was no fetal heart rate detected. The baby had died. Unfortunately, the patient still had to undergo a C-section for cephalo-pelvic disproportion.

Obviously no one deserves to lose a child, and no child deserves to die a preventable death, but will some one please explain to me: what are these people thinking when they hire someone who has been involved in multiple bad outcomes and is facing charges of egregious malpractice?

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