The AdvoKayte Podcast: Holding Healthcare Accountable
Season 1: Bonus Episode: “Bingo Doctor” Case --
The Patient Died While Doctors Played a Game of Musical Bingo
Aired on February 18th, 2026
Summary (43m 44s).
Bonus Episode: A Case of Malpractice Bingo.
Kay Van Wey is joined by several other members of the No More Doctor Deaths Club to pick apart a truly bizarre malpractice case involving Bingo. It sounds funny, and it’s hard not to make bingo jokes, but this case ended with the worst of all outcomes: the patient died.
The No More Dr. Deaths Club was formed to advocate fixes for problems that lead to patient deaths and injuries and to fight for accountability when death or injury does happen. Each of our guests today is a charter member. Robert Oshel is the former Associate Director for Research and Disputes for the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB). Dr. Robert Henderson is a renowned spinal surgeon. Dr. Martin Lazar is a renowned neurosurgeon. Anne Roberts, Vice President of Medical Staff Services at Mount Sinai Health System in New York, is back again this week.
Here is a quick rundown of the case. A middle-aged man goes into an outpatient surgery center for what should be a simple cataract removal. During the surgery, a game of musical bingo takes place, in which players identify various songs to complete a Bingo run. The alarms on the surgical and anesthesiologist’s devices were turned off, presumably so the players could better hear each song. One of the players was the anesthesiologist himself. Nobody appeared to have noticed the patient was uncomfortable and becoming more distressed until he was in full cardiac and respiratory arrest. The patient died a short time later.
The same anesthesiologist was recently under investigation in the state of Oregon, where he had successfully applied for a new medical license. How could any of this happen, and what can we do to prevent similar incidents from happening again? Can professionals be trusted to regulate and self-police their own sectors?
This is exactly why the No More Dr. Deaths Club exists. Each guest adds their opinion on issues surrounding the case, the follow-up, and the fact that this doctor was able to be relicensed mere weeks after his game of Malpractice Bingo resulted in a patient’s death.
Show Notes
Panelists.
- Kay Van Wey — medical malpractice attorney & patient safety advocate
- Bob Oshel — former associate director, National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB)
- Dr. Robert Henderson — board-certified spine surgeon
- Anne Roberts — VP of Medical Staff Services, major New England hospital system
- Dr. Martin Lazar — board-certified neurosurgeon
What You Will Learn In This Episode.
- Why this level of sedation is unusual for cataract surgery and what that could mean
- How monitoring and alarms are supposed to protect patients (and what happens when they’re silenced)
- Why distraction in the OR violates the standard of care—no matter how “routine” the procedure seems
- How ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) handle peer review and why accountability can be harder in smaller facilities
- The NPDB reporting rules and the loopholes facilities use to avoid reporting
- Why there are effectively no real penalties for non-reporting
- How doctors can move state-to-state with a “clean slate,” and why continuous query matters
If you’ve ever assumed “outpatient” automatically means “safe,” this conversation will change how you think about oversight, reporting, and patient protection.
About Kay and This Podcast: AdvoKayte.
Hosted by nationally recognized medical malpractice attorney Kay Van Wey, AdvoKAYte is dedicated to helping people find and use their voices, to understand the complexities of health care, and ultimately empower patients, families, and caregivers to successfully navigate through the worst aspects of today’s healthcare system.
“I don’t want to call it a calling, that’s too strong but, it’s my life’s purpose. It’s my life’s work, it’s my life’s purpose. There are things that I’ve seen, and things that I know after all of these decades of doing this work that other people need to know.” Kay Van Wey
Kay’s life purpose is clear: to expose the cover-ups, profit games, preventable errors, and predatory legislation that puts all of us at risk, and to empower YOU to protect yourselves and your loved ones
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