Raleigh News & Observer Logo

Oral surgeon’s dental license revoked after patient’s death | Raleigh News & Observer

×
  • E-edition
    • Customer Service
    • Support
    • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Sponsorships
    • Stay connected
    • Mobile & Apps
    • Facebook
    • Google+
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • Social Media Directory
    • N&O Store
    • Buy Photos
    • Databases
    • Archives
    • Newsletters

    • Blogs
    • Columnists
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Health
    • Local
    • North Carolina
    • Nation/World
    • Science
    • Thumbs Up
    • Traffic
    • Weather
    • Weird News
    • All News
    • Counties
    • Durham County
    • Johnston County
    • Orange County
    • Wake County
    • All Sports
    • Baseball
    • Canes
    • College
    • Columns & Blogs
    • High Schools
    • NASCAR & Auto Racing
    • NBA
    • NFL
    • NHL
    • Olympics
    • Outdoors
    • Panthers
    • Soccer
    • Schools
    • Duke
    • East Carolina
    • NC State
    • North Carolina
    • All Politics
    • The North Carolina Influencer Series
    • State Politics
    • Blogs
    • Columnists
    • PolitiFact
    • PolitiFact NC
    • Rob Christensen
    • Under the Dome
    • All Business
    • Blogs
    • Columnists
    • Health Care
    • Personal Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Shop Talk
    • Stocks Center
    • Technology
    • All Living
    • Video Now
    • Best-Kept Secrets
    • Blogs
    • Celebrations
    • Comics
    • Family
    • Fashion
    • Fitness
    • Food
    • Games and Puzzles
    • Home and Garden
    • Horoscopes
    • Mouthful
    • Past Times
    • Pets
    • Religion
    • Travel
    • Video Now
    • Arts News
    • ArtsNow
    • Books
    • Contests
    • Dining
    • Entertainment
    • Games
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Nightlife
    • Television
    • On the Beat
    • Happiness is a Warm TV
    • All Opinion
    • Columnists
    • Dwane Powell
    • Editorials
    • Influencers Opinion
    • Letters
    • Opinion Shop Blog
    • Other Views
    • Submit a Letter
  • Obituaries

    • Advertise with us
    • Place Ad
    • Apartments
    • Cars
    • Homes
    • Jobs
    • Legals
    • Obits/In Memoriams
    • Weddings
    • Today's Daily Deal
    • Special Sections
    • Today's Circulars
    • Rewards
    • Photo Store
  • Classifieds
  • Jobs
  • Moonlighting
  • Cars
  • Homes
  • Legals

Business

Oral surgeon’s dental license revoked after patient’s death

By Anne Blythe

ablythe@newsobserver.com

    ORDER REPRINT →

August 05, 2016 04:55 PM

CARY

The N.C. State Dental Board of Examiners ruled last week that a Wake County oral surgeon should not be allowed to practice dentistry in North Carolina after “contributing or causing the death” of one of his patients in 2014.

The board, in a discipline order signed July 28, revoked the dental license of John S. Won, an oral surgeon who works primarily in Cary.

Won, who was licensed to practice dentistry in this state in 2001, also has a medical license in North Carolina that remains active.

According to the dental board order, Won failed to do an adequate examination or provide adequate care to a man who came to his office on Feb. 23, 2010, to have teeth pulled. The man died within 48 hours of the surgery.

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to The News & Observer

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

The board also found that Won’s office had wrongfully billed Medicaid – but acknowledged that he had reached a $2.2 million reimbursement settlement with the government.

Won, through his attorneys, disputes the dental board’s finding.

“By all accounts, Dr. Won is an extraordinarily talented oral surgeon,” said Elliot Abrams, a Raleigh attorney representing him. “He strongly disputes the finding of the Dental Board that he knowingly violated rules or violated standards of care. In our opinion, the Dental Board’s finding is an outlier, which we believe will be overturned by the courts.”

Abrams, in his statement, acknowledged that both the state Department of Justice and the U.S. attorney’s office conducted “a comprehensive investigation” of the same allegations. But Abrams stated that they “found no intentional wrongdoing” and “saw fit to allow him to practice under the supervision of a corporate compliance agreement that ensures that he will be able to continue providing desperately needed oral surgery services to underserved areas.”

On the day Dr. John S. Won pulled the teeth of the man who later died, Won had nine surgeries scheduled before the man’s 10 a.m. appointment. He had six other surgeries and several consultations that same day between 10 a.m. and noon.

On the day Won pulled the teeth of the man who later died, Won had nine surgeries scheduled before the man’s 10 a.m. appointment. He had six other surgeries and several consultations that same day between 10 a.m. and noon.

The dental board found that Won failed to follow standard dental practice rules and leave adequate time between appointments to assess his patients. Such a schedule, the board found, limited the care he could offer before and after surgery.

Some of his records showed that after he completed a surgery, he began administering anesthesia on another patient one to two minutes later.

In the case of the man who died, the family called Won’s office shortly after the surgery to let workers there know that the patient had vomited up a substance the color of “coffee-grounds” believed to be “swallowed blood.”

Within 48 hours of having his teeth pulled, the man, who was identified only by a first name and an initial in the order, went into cardiac arrest. Doctors who responded to his emergency noted that he had lost a significant amount of blood related to the dental procedure.

The board also found that Won fraudulently filed Medicaid claims for scans, surgeries and other procedures and drugs not administered. Won, who has reimbursed Medicaid for nearly half of the overbillings, according to his attorney, argued at the dental board hearing that an office worker had erroneously submitted the claims.

The dental board noted that argument in its ruling, but concluded in an order signed by William M. Litaker, the presiding officer for the state board, that Won’s “misconduct involved such serious, numerous violations of the Dental Practice Act and the rules of ethics governing professionals that revocation is the only discipline sufficient to protect the public.”

Anne Blythe: 919-836-4948, @AnneBlythe1

  Comments  

Videos

Durham proposing higher density to ease housing concerns

This house sold for $3.5 million to a nonprofit. Here’s a look at what it purchased.

View More Video

Trending Stories

NC State basketball player Eric Lockett charged with assaulting a woman

February 14, 2019 06:34 AM

‘An angry customer shot me.’ 911 calls reveal panic at Walgreens in Garner.

February 14, 2019 10:38 AM

Another roster shakeup for NC State with the potential exit of Sacha Killeya-Jones

February 13, 2019 11:50 PM

What’s with NC State’s basketball roster? Update on 3 players who missed Syracuse game.

February 14, 2019 10:45 AM

Wake County commissioner accuses board member of lying, taking credit for park plan

February 14, 2019 12:40 PM

Read Next

NFL players’ financial adviser gets 28 months in prison for fraud

Local

NFL players’ financial adviser gets 28 months in prison for fraud

By Josh Shaffer

    ORDER REPRINT →

February 15, 2019 10:21 AM

Jason Jernigan will serve 28 months in federal prison for his role in investment and financial fraud that netted $1.4 million from clients, including three NFL players. The High Point businessman must pay restitution to his victims.

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to The News & Observer

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE BUSINESS

Trade talk optimism pushes stocks higher in early trading

Business

Trade talk optimism pushes stocks higher in early trading

February 15, 2019 10:36 AM
PepsiCo moves to profit in 4Q, sees tax benefit

Business

PepsiCo moves to profit in 4Q, sees tax benefit

February 15, 2019 10:28 AM

Business

Judge OKs bond for men charged in heart attack death

February 15, 2019 10:28 AM
US industrial output tumbled 0.6 percent in January

Business

US industrial output tumbled 0.6 percent in January

February 15, 2019 10:19 AM

Business

Illinois Democrats ask Evers to review Foxconn impact

February 15, 2019 10:16 AM

Business

House rejects Gov. Laura Kelly’s pension refinancing plan

February 15, 2019 10:06 AM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

Raleigh News & Observer App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
  • Triangletoday.com
  • Legal Notices
Advertising
  • Advertise With Us
  • About Our Ads
  • Place a Classified
  • Local Deals
  • N&O Store
  • N&O Photos
Copyright
Commenting Policy
Report News
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use


Back to Story