Unfit anesthesiologist in Broward butt-lift death lost her license. The surgeon hasn’t
After the death of a 26-year-old Brazilian butt lift patient in Plantation, a gynecologist acting as an anesthesiologist lost her medical license. The surgeon still has his — even though the state says he knew the gynecologist wasn’t qualified, had a responsibility to not use her as an anesthesiologist and promised not to do so.
Dr. John Nees, who once was busted in the middle of doing a surgery while on suspension, remains in business while Millicent Muir is no longer a gynecologist.
The only fallout for Nees from the Oct. 20, 2021, death of Jaynisha Williams at Plantation’s The Best U Now is a Florida Department of Health administrative complaint. That complaint, which starts the discipline process, was filed Sept. 27, 2022. While that process plods along, Nees can continue to operate on patients for liposuction, including BBLs, and various other plastic surgeries.
Nees, a plastic surgeon, has his own practice in Delray Beach. Office surgery centers listing him as a surgeon include Doral’s The Secret Plastic Surgery, Miami’s Boutinic Aesthetics and Moon Aesthetics.
Nees didn’t answer calls or emails from the Miami Herald.
MORE: Consequences for a Broward anesthesiologist in a mother’s butt-lift death
The designated physician
The Best U Now officially was run by Dorian Wilkerson and Shareza Wilkerson through Serenity Capital Investments. Shareza Wilkerson, who returned to her maiden name, Shareza Jackson, after filing for divorce, has claimed Wilkerson ran The Best U Now, which hired Nees as designated physician despite past flouting of state orders.
The designated physician makes sure the facility and staff comply with state laws, orders and guidelines.
The administrative complaint against Nees says during an Sept. 17, 2021, Florida Department of Health inspection at The Best U Now, inspectors learned that Nees used Muir “to provide anesthesia for patients undergoing Level 2 surgeries.”
But Muir was registered only as “recovery personnel,” not as an anesthesia provider. A “Corrective Action Plan” submitted by Nees to address the inspection problems stated “Dr. Millicent Muir, M.D., will only perform recovery at the facility, as that is what she is registered to do within the facility. John Nees M.D. (Medical Director) will ensure on a daily basis the facility is in compliance with staff registration and their approved registration scope of practices.”
That was submitted, the complaint said, on Oct. 15, 2021. Jaynisha Williams, a cousin of Dorian Wilkerson, came to The Best U Now on Oct. 20, 2021, for a BBL and a breast augmentation by Nees.
“The surgical log, surgical time out form, surgery report and bodysculupture operative report for (Williams’) surgery list Millicent Muir, M.D., as the anesthesia provider,” the complaint said.
Williams’ surgery was supposed to be Level 2, defined as “moderate or conscious sedation.” The undisputed facts of the state case against Muir said she gave Williams enough ketamine, Benadryl and Versed followed by Demorol, propfol and more ketamine that it was Level 4 sedation. Also, she didn’t intubate Williams, which the state anesthesia expert said was standard procedure and might have prevented the tragedy.
Williams never woke up and died at Plantation General Hospital that night.
The state anesthesia expert in Muir’s revocation case said: ““The patient suffered cardiac arrest and death due to an anesthetic administered in higher doses than the patient consented for, with an inappropriate combination of medications, with an unprotected airway, in a surgery performed both in the prone and supine positions, with an underwhelming resuscitative effort, by a non-certified anesthesia provider.”
Nees was the doctor in the house who was supposed to make sure the “non-certified anesthesia provider” wasn’t providing anything.
Also, the complaint said Nees failed to “document efforts to resuscitate (Williams) prior to the transfer to Plantation General Hospital in the medical record.”
The state opened the discipline case against Nees four months before opening the case against Muir. The revocation ended her case six months ago.
Surgery while suspended and altered records
Though Nees has been certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery since 1984, hiring him as designated physician would require him to respect rules he’s previously ignored.
▪ In August 2003, Nees got a reciprocal punishment suspension from Florida after the state of Washington action against Nees for altering patient records.
The Florida administrative complaint said Nees “altered Patient One’s medical records to make it appear that Patient One was no longer a patient at the time that they began their personal relationship.”
He also “added to or directed someone to add to the medical records of Patient Two. The altered records were updated with additional information that supported (Nees’) claim that Patient Two was fully informed and consented to the procedures he performed.”
The final order from Florida’s Board of Medicine suspending Nees went into effect on Aug. 18, 2003.
▪ Just 18 days later, on Sept. 5, 2003, investigators from the Department of Health’s Miami Investigative Unit acting on a tip went to an Coconut Grove office and found Nees in the middle of surgery. State documents say investigators found, and Nees admitted, that he had done at least 16 surgeries in the 18 days since his suspension.
Nees’ punishment included a $10,000 fine and a suspension lasting at least six months, not to end until “he personally appears before the Board with a statement from the Professional Resources Network that (his) personality disorder is under control and that he is capable of practicing medicine with appropriate skill and safety.” This went into effect on Dec. 27, 2004.
▪ On Jan. 16, 2005, Nees called in prescriptions to a pharmacy in Washington for himself and a relative. As his license was suspended, this counted as practicing medicine on a suspended license.
Florida fined Nees $2,000 plus $1,258 in case costs.
