Friday, Aug. 7, 2009 | 4:51 p.m.
The state Medical Examiners Board today delayed voting on an agreement with neurosurgeon and former Lt. Gov. Lonnie Hammargren until its next board meeting.
Hammargren agreed to no longer perform surgeries as part of a medical malpractice settlement. He would, however, keep his medical license under the agreement, which will come before the board next month.
The settlement is confidential until accepted by the board, but Hammargren has confirmed details of the agreement to the Sun.
Hammargren, who is also a former university regent, said he was not seeing any patients.
Hammargren said he stopped performing surgeries in 2005 when his malpractice insurance costs rose to $275,000 a year.
The malpractice complaint, filed in December, alleged that during a 2002 operation to remove a brain tumor from a 41-year-old woman patient, Hammargren failed to remove the tumor and didn't "use the reasonable care, skill or knowledge ordinarily used under similar circumstances."
Hammargren said the surgery did not constitute malpractice. Three neurosurgeons examined the patient file and agreed there was no malpractice, he said. Tests after the patient arrived in Desert Springs Hospital in June 2001 suggested the patient was suffering from meningloma, described as a tumor surrounding the brain. Hammargren performed surgery to remove the tumor.
Tests on the removed tissue showed the specimen did not contain meningloma.
Under the settlement, Hammargren would pay $2,677 to cover the costs of the investigation and work by board staff.
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