The Texas Medical Board states that anesthesiologist Michael Patrick Gallagher, M.D., who has been connected to two fatalities at different Texas health spas, is still allowed to practice but is “restricted from supervision and delegation in all circumstances.”
According to a TMB news statement, the Board already limited Gallagher’s license on December 18, finding that the physician’s “continuation in the unrestricted practice of medicine poses a continuing threat to public welfare.”
“The temporary limitation is in effect until the Board takes additional action.”
Gallagher’s license was suspended in October following the passing of Fairfield resident Jenifer Cleveland, before the TMB’s judgment in December.
Cleveland, a 47-year-old mother of four, passed away in July at the Wortham-based Luxe Medical Spa following an IV vitamin infusion. At the time, Gallagher was the med spa’s director.
The proprietor of the spa, Amber Johnson, reportedly gave the IV instead of Gallagher since she lacked the necessary license. During the surgery, Cleveland stopped responding, so facility workers called 911. Cleveland was declared deceased at the medical facility.
The license of Gallagher was revoked in October due to the passing of Jenifer Cleveland, a cherished staff member of the Fairfield, Texas-based KNES radio station.
Gallagher is said to have just attended the spa’s grand opening in May and not to have been there on that particular day.
Gallagher is also connected to the passing of Kimberly Ray, an Arlington resident, in 2021 at the Integrity Wellness Center in Coppell, where he was chief of anesthesiology before.
It is also reported that he did not attend Ray’s surgery, which was a standard pain therapy. Joseph Scott Houghton, a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), carried out the procedure; it is alleged that he misrepresented to Ray his credentials.
In paperwork signed by Ray before the surgery, Houghton identified himself as a “surgeon,” “physician,” and as “Dr. Scott Houghton.” According to a complaint the family filed, he carried out the treatment with assistance from Dr. Venkateswara Rao Mandava, Mauro Molina, and another CRNA.
Gallagher was deposed in the case on January 5, 2023. Despite holding the title of Chief of Anesthesiology at the facility, he acknowledged throughout the deposition that he was not a board-certified anesthesiologist.
He continued by saying that he was not there the day Ray passed away following the administration of a “large sedative dose,” which caused her spine to suffer severe injury as a result of the poorly executed surgery. Following her death on April 23, postmortem examinations revealed that the surgery had damaged her brain.
Gallagher further stated that he never inquired with EMS about the care Ray had gotten from them or looked over the records of her treatment.
He went on to say that, even as chief, he wouldn’t manage Mandava because the latter is a medical doctor anesthesiologist.
Texans may look up a doctor’s background, make a complaint, and find out if the individual providing care also has prescriptive power by visiting the Texas Medical Board website and selecting the “Public” button.
After the holidays, it is expected that the TMB will continue to consider Gallagher’s case.