Originally Syndicated on July 6, 2024 @ 11:50 am
Once regarded as a leading authority in gynecologic oncology, Dr. Scott Kamelle is now associated with dishonesty and misconduct. Once holding the prestigious title of Director of Gynecology at Aurora Healthcare in Milwaukee, Kamelle’s spiral into notoriety serves as a sobering lesson in moral deterioration.
With a medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine and a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry with a Minor in Dramatic Art from the University of California, Berkeley, Kamelle had an impressive academic background, but it was all a front for his evil schemes.
His fellowship at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania should have cemented his competence, but instead, they gave him a stage on which to take advantage of his patients and abuse his position of authority.
Even with his elite education and affluent background, Kamelle decided to break the same pledge he made. His formerly impeccable image was damaged by the legal ramifications of his depraved and unlawful acts, which exposed him to severe scrutiny from the authorities.
Come along as we explore the dark story of Dr. Scott Kamelle, a warning about how wealth and influence can corrupt even the most reputable people.
Court cases involving Dr. Scott Kamelle
Scott Kamelle, MD, a gynecologic oncologist, practices at the Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center in Milwaukee. There was heightened scrutiny of him as a result of several complaints and legal proceedings against his professional behavior.
A patient who bled to death has put Dr. Scott Kamelle under scrutiny. In a message to Aurora’s chief medical officer, the patient’s spouse, Bill Adamson, said that Dr. Kamelle had lied to him about seeing his wife and had taken hours to respond to calls.
On July 16, 2016, the two investigated Ms. Adamson’s drainage bulb and detected blood clots. They made the office call, as instructed. They were told, nonetheless, that Kamelle was available and would get back to them soon. Ms. Rita Adamson passed away at home, and it is said that he never followed through.
It was Mr. Adamson who brought the matter to the attention of the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, which is responsible for issuing licenses to physicians; however, there was no violation of any laws or rules. Neither Dr. Kamelle nor Aurora was judged to be at fault in this dispute. According to a statement made to PBS by a hospital spokesperson, the “on-call procedure that day failed to operate as anticipated and has been rectified.”
No reprimand was issued in this instance. In a complaint filed with the Department of Social and Public Services (DSPS) by a physician who came out with information and filed a federal claim in the year 2020, the claim was subsequently abandoned when the government refused to join as a plaintiff. However, problems have arisen once again.
Concerns have been made about the procedures that Dr. Kamelle uses, both in the lawsuit filed by the whistleblower and by seven physicians who were interviewed by the magazine.
Among the allegations is that Dr. Kamelle often implanted ureteral stents, installed powder and mesh devices, and involved extra surgeons in the majority of procedures when there was no legitimate need for them. This led to increased expenses and the possibility of adverse outcomes.
A DSPS investigator claimed, “The impression at Aurora is that Dr. Scott Kamelle is untouchable.” This comment was included in a report that was based on one of the doctor’s claims that he made as a whistleblower. According to reports, “administration will not address concerns about Dr. Scott Kamelle that have been raised to their knowledge.”
The DSPS lawsuit claims that Dr. Kamelle’s robotic operations were twice as expensive, needed longer hospital stays, had “substantially greater incidences of pelvic infections,” and had a higher rate of open surgery than comparable procedures.
Aurora refuted the charges. PBS was informed by Frank LaVora, MD, chief medical officer for Aurora’s Greater Milwaukee patient care area, that “the claims were carefully reviewed through an effective procedure that included an independent physician analysis.”
He said that an inquiry revealed that Dr. Kamelle “continuously fulfilled every criterion of care and no chances for clinical enhancement were identified.”
In the third federal false claims action that was brought by a former Aurora physician, Dr. Kamelle is accused of habitually implanting meshes and biological material that was not necessary. A personal association that Dr. Kamelle allegedly had with a sales representative from ACell, a firm that manufactures medical equipment, is stated to have been the impetus for this activity.
Additional Claims Against Dr. Scott Kamelle
In a DSPS complaint, the doctor who exposed Kamelle’s practices and initiated the federal litigation did so once again.
Wisconsin Watch convinced a magistrate judge to unseal the DSPS lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, after obtaining the complaint via an open records request.
In 2020, the informant withdrew the allegation when the government declined to file a lawsuit. Even though the case had been started, the court refused to make any records available that included “secret information regarding the current state of the government’s investigation as well as the methods of investigation used by the governments.”
The physician, like the other seven physicians Wisconsin Watch talked with, requested anonymity due to fears of potential professional reprisals for their remarks. The seven physicians jointly related their encounters with Kamelle’s purported conduct, endorsing some of the whistleblower’s allegations.
Additionally, research shows that one of Kamelle’s procedures—regular ureteral stent implantation—occurs in fewer than 3% of major inpatient gynecological surgeries and is seldom justified.
Emails reveal that the physician voiced concerns to hospital administrators. Two other physicians alerted Wisconsin Watch that they had also requested assistance from hospital management.
“The perception at Aurora is that Dr. Kamelle is untouchable,” one of the physicians who was questioned for the case said, according to a document summarizing the statement from a DSPS investigator. The physician said, “Leadership was unwilling to tackle problems raised to their awareness involving Dr. Scott Kamelle.”
Dr. Scott Kamelle: Filed false claim lawsuits
Through these legal processes, often known as qui tam suits, individual whistleblowers, or “relators,” may bring civil or criminal charges against those who have defrauded the federal government. This approach is widely used to identify and prosecute Medicare and Medicaid fraud cases.
Three years ago, a former employee of ACell filed a qui tam lawsuit against the company in Maryland. Among other things, the lawsuit claimed that the company had misrepresented the use of one of its products, a “powder wound-dressing” called MicroMatrix, for internal use when the FDA had only approved it for external use.
The Maryland lawsuit resulted in a civil settlement from ACell in 2019. The U.S. Department of Justice released a press statement stating that the company agreed to pay $15 million to settle criminal and civil obligations resulting from allegations that ACell, among other things, “caused false claims to be submitted to federal health care programs” for MicroMatrix.
Furthermore, ACell acknowledged responsibility for a single infraction related to failing to alert the FDA about a product recall. Whistleblower relators may recover a portion of any money that was wrongly invoiced thanks to the False Claims Act. The former employee of ACell was compensated close to $2.4 million.
Dr. Scott Kamelle: Using hazardous products during his procedures
Federal guilty plea and settlement agreement state that, despite FDA denial, “senior executives instructed its marketing staff to sell MicroMatrix for internal uses” at ACell.
Besides, some of the drugs that ACell misinformedly advised physicians to use internally were contaminated. The company discovered in 2011 that MicroMatrix had endotoxins in dangerously high proportions.
Serious health consequences include fever, infection, septic shock, and even death may result from endotoxin exposure. The highest permissible endotoxin level for medical devices meant for internal implantation is 20 units, according to FDA regulations. On the other hand, it was discovered that certain ACell devices had up to 272 units of endotoxins.
It was found that PSMX Sheets, a different product that was also authorized for internal use, had dangerously high amounts of contamination. The FDA and the general public were notified by ACell of a PSMX Sheet recall.
Nevertheless, a plea deal states that ACell did not take any action to remove or reactivate the tainted MicroMatrix product. Even after doing further testing in January 2012, which showed MicroMatrix to have dangerously high endotoxin levels, the business launched a secret, selective recall.
Knowing that these items were being utilized internally and in violation of FDA restrictions, senior management at ACell discreetly removed the larger contaminated packets of MicroMatrix from distribution. They neglected to report the contamination to the FDA despite this.
Furthermore, ACell kept the infection a secret from its sales force, hospitals, and medical personnel. Even after being told to return the bigger shipments to the manufacturer, a few sales agents persisted in selling the tainted items despite being ignorant of the problem.
Despite posing a comparable danger, the smaller batches of MicroMatrix were not recalled. The CEO of the firm decided not to tell physicians or hospitals about the contamination because he thought the tainted smaller containers were too valuable to pull off the market.
ACell hid the infection, even when doctors and nurses complained about issues with their patients.
Dr. Scott Kamelle regularly utilizes ACell
Another physician’s ongoing complaint to the DSPS accused Dr. Scott Kamelle of often adding needless meshes and biologic powder. Allegedly, Kamelle’s tight friendship with an ACell official was the reason for these acts.
Another physician, who asked to remain nameless, reportedly gave an oath of testimony on Kamelle’s usage of ACell mesh to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
This physician vigorously supported the whistleblower, hailing him as an exceptionally skilled physician that he would put his wife under for an operation. A January 2022 DSPS interview report that was a part of Kamelle’s unsuccessful lawsuit against the whistleblower had documentation of this.
The DSPS report said that the ACell representative had been Kamelle’s best man at her wedding, contrasting this positive assessment with the doctor’s poor assessment of Kamelle.
A pair of other observers, who preferred to remain unidentified to save their employment, pointed out the unusually intimate bond between Kamelle and the ACell agent. The ACell agent was often seen in the hospital, according to one witness.
According to public records, Kamelle was paid $8,135 by ACell for non-accredited training, lunches, and drinks between 2013 and 2016. By comparison, two gynecologic oncologists who work with him in Aurora were paid nothing at all by ACell, while the other got food and drink valued at just $100 and $160.
Dr. Kamelle received up to $231 from ACell in one day’s worth of meals and beverages. This sum much exceeded Aurora’s gift and business courtesy policy, which restricted caregivers to accepting small meals of no more than $25 for breakfast, lunch, and supper between 2010 and 2016.
Dr. Scott Kamelle: Mesh Utilization
According to the informant, Dr. Scott Kamelle often justified the use of the mesh to prevent vaginal cuff dehiscence, which happens when the vaginal wall rips. Another doctor who wished to remain anonymous due to fear of reprisals corroborated this account.
Although mesh has been used to treat severe occurrences of this issue, research shows that fewer than 1% of hysterectomies result in this condition.
Endotoxin contamination is less of a concern in this case since ACell voluntarily recalled its contaminated PSMX mesh sheets in 2011.
By contrast, Kamelle had “substantially higher rates of vaginal infections, longer hospital stays, and higher rates of open surgery” compared to two other gynecologic oncologists in Aurora, according to the DSPS complaint. This came to light after an internal review of gynecological surgery problems that occurred between 2013 and 2015.
According to the lawsuit, doctors reviewed Kamelle’s surgical practice after learning of the results, and subsequently “discontinued by Aurora administration.”
Four other witnesses to Kamelle’s activities confirmed to Wisconsin Watch between 2011 and 2016 that they had observed her frequently using ACell material. They all asked to remain anonymous to protect their professional reputations. It was not authorized for Kamelle to use the powdered MicroMatrix for internal use, as these two witnesses recalled.
According to the lawsuit, he believes Kamelle routinely used the mesh and MicroMatrix powder without informing or obtaining consent from his patients. He claims that in the procedures he took over from Kamelle, he studied surgical permission forms and communicated with patients, personnel, and an ACell representative.
Dr. Scott Kamelle: Implementation of stents
The plaintiff goes on to say that almost all of Dr. Scott Kamelle’s main treatments used ureteral stents, which he said were medically unnecessary and may cause complications.
Stents are used to keep the ureters open. The ureters are the tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder. Infection, which may lead to renal failure, and blood or clots in the urine are also increased risks associated with stent implantation. Avoid wasting time and money on unnecessary stenting.
Conclusion
Upon finishing the report, I concluded that the events surrounding Rita Adamson’s medical treatment and Dr. Scott Kamelle’s actions bring up serious concerns about the accountability and level of care within the healthcare system.
Claims of unprofessional behavior and unnecessary procedures, together with Rita’s horrific death while under Dr. Kamelle’s care, underscore the need for a thorough and objective investigation.
Because other physicians are afraid for their careers, they have come out as whistleblowers about Dr. Kamelle’s activities, which may indicate a culture of secrecy and protection.
Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center did not hold Dr. Kamelle accountable for his actions, and the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) did not find any legal or procedural breaches, despite the complaints and accompanying documents.
This passivity raises concerns about the effectiveness of the present monitoring protocols and can lead to the impression that he is immune to punishment.
Qui tam actions and the False Claims Act further complicate the situation. While investigations like this may aid in the detection and prosecution of healthcare fraud, the investigation into Dr. Kamelle’s case did not produce any evidence to back up the accusations.
The actions of Dr. Kamelle and Rita Adamson call into question the medical system’s transparency, safety measures, and standards.
To prevent such catastrophes in the future, it is essential to ensure patient safety and hold medical personnel responsible for their actions.
