The General Membership of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) met during the Annual Business Meeting on April 24, 2017, to consider a member’s appeal of the decision by the AANS Board of Directors to Censure him based on the recommendation of the Professional Conduct Committee. The Censure pertained to unprofessional conduct while serving as an expert witness in a medical malpractice lawsuit. Based on the majority vote of the voting members present and voting, the action of the AANS’ Board of Directors was sustained. The disciplinary action is as follows:
- Harold D. Segal, MD – Censure. The Board concluded that Dr. Segal of San Luis Obispo, Calif., failed to consider the operative dictation and assumed facts not in evidence in connection with an expert witness declaration in order to draw the conclusion that a particular action was outside of the standard of care in violation of Section A.4 of the AANS Rules for Neurosurgical Medical/Legal Expert Opinion Services. The Board also concluded Dr. Segal violated Section (e)(2) of the AANS Code of Ethics in effect as of July 2014 by not diligently and thoroughly preparing himself with the relevant facts when he provided the declaration that disregarded other possible operative complications.
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