Boston doctor fined $6,000 for missing surgery for lunch

BOSTON — Massachusetts’ medical board has reprimanded and fined the head of spine surgery at Boston Medical Center after he left an operating room to eat lunch in his car and then fell asleep and missed an emergency surgery in 2016.

According to a consent order released Monday by the Board of Registration in Medicine, Dr. Tony Tannoury, 54, admitted to falling asleep his car in November 2016. A chief resident performed the surgery after Tannoury missed it, according to the release.

The state Board of Registration in Medicine said that Tannoury was the attending surgeon for trauma emergencies that night and took the patient into the operating room.

Tannoury was fined $6,000, ordered to complete five education credits in professionalism and review regulations for supervisors, the board said.

Boston Medical reprimanded Tannoury, emphasizing that he violated hospital policy which requires that surgeons be present for critical parts of operations.

A Boston Medical spokesperson said the hospital reported the action to the medical board but did not specify when.

“Dr. Tony Tannoury was covering an evening on-call shift when this case arrived to Boston Medical Center in 2016. This was an emergent injury, not a previously scheduled procedure.  BMC formally reprimanded Dr. Tannoury and reported the incident to the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine. The patient was notified of the situation and the surgical outcome was positive.

Dr. Tony Tannoury is the director of spine services at Boston Medical Center and no additional issues have been raised about his services since this incident.”

Tannoury did not respond to requests for comment.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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