Jackson Jambalaya

How many times has he been sued for malpractice? Just sayin'

I live a few houses down from he and his wife in Northeast jackson. She's also a physician. Both are very nice people. However, he certainly wouldn't be my first choice for a physician.

This is a positive development and I think Dr. Cleveland will do a good job.

11:27 AM, if you knew him at all you would know that for the last several years he has focused his practice on weight loss, nutrition and aesthetics. He is not providing care in the same sense a physician would in a clinic and so forth.

Look... this is an administrative position.. he will do great. He's very smart and I believe he will be a success.

Offhand, 13 lawsuits in a 10 year period seems a tad high but I haven’t a clue what is normal. Can anyone elaborate on the nature of the suits?

Doctors are terrible managers.

@12:15,
I know him and I also know the procedures that he performed were on high risk patients as the majority of those cases are. Also, yes I am well aware of his clinic in the strip center. I know the lawsuits in that type of practice were due to high risk patients and many people no longer perform those anylonger.

Bariatric patients are generally high risk especially when compared to the general population. The lawsuits were much higher in that area due to this. So it certainly doesn't relent on him as a physician once all things are considered. I wouldn't perform a case on a majority of those patients.

13 lawsuits is a meaningless number unless you provide context around that number. How many of those lawsuits resulted in a jury verdict? How many resulted in a settlement? How many were thrown out or dismissed? How many patients did he see in that period of time - thousands, tens of thousands? How many were high risk, and is that number similar nationally to others performing the procedures?

It seems like if you are going to throw that little tidbit red meat to the wolves (excuse me, people without fault) that read this board, you might want to provide context.

1:49, very good points, but don't you realize what click-bait is? KF throws out this 'fact' which he obviously had to research to come up with for the post. But to add those other details would eliminate many of the arm-chair surgeons on this site that want to elaborate on his abilities or inabilities in a particular field.

After he lost his surgical privileges at the hospital, then his failed attempt at a diet Center, this makes perfectly good sense

I'll make a trip to the courthouse next week to look at them and report back. Files themselves aren't in MEC.

I would be afraid to practice bariatrics in Mississippi now that he is in charge. The chances of him being vindictive toward the general surgery community after his career is 100 percent.

These positions typically go professionals in the field who can't make a decent living practicing the trade. If they could, they wouldn't be available for such lofty designations.

For those who say "I wouldn't choose him because I live down the street from HE" or "He will do well", upon what are you basing your assessment?

And lastly, who the hell cares about developing something that other boards will emulate? Is that the goal?

A man who was sued thirteen times and 'lost surgical privileges' and, as a result, ran a store-front 'diet center' is given a management position in the medical field?

Next we'll hear something as absurd as Randy Easterling being involved in opioid regulations.

The medical board is going lower and lower. Sad for Mississippi.

This is a shame for the medical community.

Ken, I can say, from my experience at UMC, was the biggest and most insensitive asshole ever to go through the general surgery residency. I guess that is a qualification for the job. God help us all.

Why did he lose his surgical privileges? Just curious. I know there are other surgeons with numerous lawsuits filed against them that still have hospital privileges.

I’m not surprised Dr. Cleveland is the pick. It’s par with the quality of what is on the board now. There has been some quality and highly respected physicians in the past. That’s just not the case now. Witch hunts and suspect regulations are what is the center of this group now. The next time you visit a physician, ask them what they think of this board. You will be surprised at what they will say. Our board has little to no respect in the medical community. I’m a local provider. Even though I have not had a run in with this group, I have several colleagues that have. A total ground up overhaul of this board needs to be implemented. We will see if some of their far reaching new regulations will get the ball rolling in that direction.

My ex-wife had bariatric surgery by Dr Cleveland about 12 years ago. I wouldn’t refer my worst enemy to him.

“Those who can do, those who can’t teach (or open medi-spa diet centers and take administrative positions)”- George Bernard Shaw

Ken, there is more to be had by being good and decent to the doctors. That is where the power if their is any is to be had. You have probably never experienced Good Karma but it is not to late to do so. Best Wishes.

Tight with Steve Davenport.

Who is Steve Davenport and why does 'being tight' matter?

"This is a positive development and I think Dr. Cleveland will do a good job."

Thanks, Mrs. Cleveland, but do you even have a clue as to the duties of the position?

"This is a positive development and I think Dr. Cleveland will do a good job."

Thanks, Mrs. Cleveland, but do you even have a clue as to the duties of the position?




MRS. Cleveland is actually DR. Cleveland. She is an oncologist at St. D.

So, maybe YOU should get a clue...

First of all, I assume that Dr. Cleveland is a very nice person.

However, if his job at MSBML is to opine on quality of medical care, how can he do this with 13 malpractice suits (most went to forced arbitration), being forced to perform another year of surgical training a few years ago because of perceived incompetence at the Baptist hospital, possible loss of malpractice insurance in the past, and opening a weight loss and testosterone clinic (a dubious venture, held in low esteem by most physicians) because he couldn't operate anymore?

The other job requirements for the Executive Director are as an administrator, and he has no administrative experience.

So, the two qualities required--being held in esteem by his fellow physicians for medical competence, and administrative prowess, are apparently lacking in this candidate.

Apparently, he was the SOLE candidate presented to the Board for a vote. ONE candidate only!

The job pays $250,000 per year. Included are all the MS State Employee perks. A physician near retirement, who wanted to slow down, who was known to be a quality physician should have been RECRUITED if the Board had such a paucity of candidates. Yes, RECRUITED. All the Board did was post it on the State jobs website and their own website. When they knew they didn't have a quality candidate, they should have looked deeper across the state for a qualified candidate.

I think it will be very difficult for physicians to swallow any pronouncements on quality of care from a physician they don't respect. The Board, which has been dysfunctional over the last few years, seemingly shot itself in the foot with this appointment. It will only lead to derision and disatisfaction from those it governs.

More importantly to the fashion in which the Board functions, what kind of "vetting" took place on this candidate? Was he asked if he ever lost his malpractice insurance, how many malpractice suits he had, or whether he was ever under investigation at a hospital, or had his privileges suspended or reduced?

I think in its haste to appointment "someone" (ANYONE) to the position, the Board has actually made matters worse. This will not bode well for the smooth functioning of the Board in the future.

In addition, the Executive Director must be a savvy and forceful person to deal effectively with the MS Legislature. There is nothing in this physician's past record demonstrating his ability to do this. If the Legislature sees him as a weak director, they will run all over him.

I can attest to the response from the medical community to this announcement--"Are you kidding me?!" Most physicians were astonished and very disappointed.

However, beyond this dubious appointment, it says more about the dysfunction of the MS Board of Medical Licensure itself. True, it is a difficult job. But, if a member is going to serve on the Board, he/she must be willing to take his/her job seriously, and to perform to the utmost of his/her ability.

The consequences of the Board's actions are extremely important, often affecting the lives of individual physicians, and the medical and MS communities as a whole.

Although I wish Dr. Cleveland nothing but success, I think that individual members of the Board should look deeply into the job he/she is performing, and ask if he/she performed "due diligence" with this appointment.

In the future, the medical and non-medical community should be much more involved and interested in WHO the Governor appoints to the Board, and they should insure that they are top-quality, thoughtful physicians who are willing to take their appointment seriously. At this point, it appears that the Board is comprised of members who either don't care and only want the power and prestige of the appointment, or are "burnt out" because of lack of leadership.

What a sad situation.

Well said. I know of much more qualified people interviewed for the job. Dr. Cleveland is not the only candidate. However if he is the only one presented for vote, then something very fishy is going on.

Paul Gallo's weight loss guru. Gallo worships him. "Gallo" worships Easterling too.

You lose your hospital privileges over incompetence, unacceptable rates of morbidity and mortality, and either failed or absent attempts to improve. It wasn't just bariatric surgery; his caseload was reviewed by an independent, external surgical case review company and found seriously lacking. All of those lawsuits are significant in the context of withdrawn insurance coverage and surgical privileges.

"MRS. Cleveland is actually DR. Cleveland. She is an oncologist at St. D."

So damned what? I'm not as impressed by that as you are with her claim that he will do a superb job.

By the way, how ironic is it that a head of a licensure board has lost his privilege to practice?

"It wasn't just bariatric surgery; his caseload was reviewed by an independent, external surgical case review company and found seriously lacking. All of those lawsuits are significant in the context of withdrawn insurance coverage and surgical privileges."

But....but....none of that matters since he kept his room neat, learned to play piano and his wife (who is an oncologist) speaks here on his behalf.

Hey @ 1:58--who else applied?

There was once a time when such a position was routine granted to a respected, veberable emeritus member of a state's medical community. Problems arose when charges of suppresssion of physician misconduct became common, so professional nonphysician administrators were tried. Then physicians felt targeted and unheard. I think the answer is somewhere in-between: the respected senior physician with impeccable ethics, management skills and experience. There are plenty of them out there. Honestly, there is no reason for it to be a full-time job; one could still maintain a part-time practice. Such individuals are out there. They have to be recruited into the job. This hire is not that person.

There are plenty of surgeons out there operating on high-risk patients, even higher-risk than bariatric patients, without repeatedly bad outcomes and multiple lawsuits. Revocation of privileges is no simple process: repeated patterns of events, malfaesance and voluminous documentation is required. It does not occur casually or overnight. It is professionally significant. Most of those whose ineptitude leads them to that fate move elsewhere or drift into professional obscurity. It takes a bit of chutzpah, even arrogance, to place one's hat in a ring like this following such a disposition. Read the comments above from Dr Cleveland's acquaintance from residency. Responding to comments above about having "kept his room clean": that's the problem. He didn't.

Two thumbs up to "Nightingale" above.

So if you can no longer practice medicine in your state you become a regulator over the people who DO practice medicine....after a NATIONWIDE search of course. Which sewer did they look in? I am an MD.

"In the future, the medical and non-medical community should be much more involved and interested in WHO the Governor appoints to the Board, and they should insure that they are top-quality, thoughtful physicians...yada yada."

When the governor has the power of appointment, how would you 'insure' anything? Nobody other than close political allies is ever involved in gubernatorial appointments.

Looks like oncology will get a hall pass!

There were definitely other more qualified candidates that the MBML did not even bother to notify that Dr. Cleveland had been chosen...I know at least one of them...and that candidate is highly qualified as far as medical knowledge, hospital administration experience and the various professional/local political process of committees' hearing/appeals protocols, and has zero clinical restrictions with no malpractice history.

Yes, very curious choice for the position. Kingfish did you go to the courthouse to find about the cases? I don’t think those cases were all about bariatric surgery. There was nothing to do with the population of the patients he was seeing. If you can find out why more qualified candidate were not chosen, maybe you will get a Pulitzer award.

Any punitive disciplinary action regarding restriction of privileges or remedial training should have been reported to the Board and the National Practicioner Data Bank and also by Dr Cleveland on his annual application for license renewal. It is not outside the realm of possibility that he was allowed to resign his privileges voluntarily in exchange for secrecy. Good ole boys remain at play in our hospitals. If that happened, it was an affront to every responsible physician and, for that matter, to anyone ever reported for anything. If he failed to disclose it on his license renewal, as physicians are required to do fir disciplinary actions, malpractice suits, criminal charges and convictions and, even,emotional disorders, then his license should be sanctioned if not revoked. Pretty simple.

They want someone grateful for the job who they can control.

Does anyone remember the name of the star Jackson neurosurgeon that was the poster child for tort reform. Had a full page ad in the CL claiming he was having to leave the state because of insurance costs. He stayed gone and wandered the desert for 3 years then returned after tort reform was passed. Ironically, he now practices part time at the VA because he doesnt have any insurance. The patients he sees privately are usually mandated to see him by some insurance company for an opinion, or court judge. He leases offices by the day, having a temp bring in a portable copier and his laptop. 2 patients said they had saw him in 4 different locations in the last 3 months. He tries to pass off a consent for examination form to attempt to get you to waive any rights or recourse you may have. In the fine print he states he has no malpractice insurance and you acknowlege this and is unable to pay any claim that might arise. I accompanied one a patient to a visit, and he claimed he couldnt review an MRI disc because his laptop was not functioning and also having internet aircard issues. Just a vacant office, no furniture other than folding chairs and a portable table for his desk. But he served his purpose for tort reform.

He was was perfect for the executive directors job.

The report in the Clarion Ledger today that the MSBML knew abut Dr. Cleveland's malpractice cases is patently false. The members did not know.

"Glowing". Yeah, like radioactive. He knows he can obfuscate it because to objectively refute it will require someone at Baptist to formally breach confidentiality requirements of peer review. And he knows they won't. Hall threatened a lot of people with application of principle and transparency. Medicine and health care in this state needs that, at all levels, from physicians to nursing to hospital administration to insurance companies. Until then, we will continue to have things happen like this ludicrous appointment. He will get twenty years in then retire on our dime, all the while doing what he is told, if he can hold his arrogance in check and hide the measures of retribution he is certain to be planning . We shall see....