MAUMEE, Ohio — The State Medical Board of Ohio has revoked the license of a Maumee doctor who owns Luxe Laser Center for inadequate care of 15 patients, ranging from an aborted surgery requiring mouth-to-mouth resuscitation after a patient lost consciousness to repeatedly failing to fully document treatments, prescriptions and medical histories.
The board notified Wade Banker, a radiologist certified in 1998, of the complaints levied at him on Dec. 9, 2020. Those complaints of inappropriate treatment happened between June 2014 and May 2018, according to board documents.
The board made its decision Wednesday. Banker was also fined $3,500.
The board's letter to Banker notifying him of the accusations splits them into two sections: patients 1-9 who were inadequately treated for issues including hypogonadism, obesity, erectile dysfunction, narcolepsy and hormone replacement therapy, and patients 10-15 who received non-standard cosmetic surgeries oftentimes using local anesthesia. Both sections show Banker failing to document everything from the patients' medical histories to their appointments at Luxe Laser to post-operation follow-ups with patients.
The full letter can be read below. You can also open the file in a separate window here.
In December 2016, "Patient 10" received laser treatment "and possibly liposuction of the neck (as charting is not clear)." Three years later, a different health care provider sent the patient to the emergency room for a third-degree burn on their neck, which was shown in pictures in Banker's chart of the treatment, but not properly documented.
"Patient 11" received tummy tuck and tummy tuck revision surgeries. The second surgery "was performed with a non-standard upper abdomen incision," according to the board.
"Patient 13" received two breast augmentation surgeries under local anesthesia that were then aborted mid-operation. The first surgery was aborted "due to patient loss of consciousness and desaturation. The patient apparently received mouth-to-mouth resuscitation during the desaturation, and this is an indication of a lack of basic preparation in the procedure room." The second surgery was aborted due to "possible lidocaine toxicity."
State medical board spokeswoman Jerica Stewart said the length of time between an issued citation and a board decision varies case-by-case.
"There are many factors that influence this timeline, including legal proceedings, requests for continuances, cooperation from witnesses, scheduling of the counsel for each side, hearing officer availability and settlement negotiations among others," she said. "It is the Board's primary goal to take action on the license as quickly as possible. To that end, in the last year, the Board added an additional full time hearing officer and additional contract hearing officers to better accommodate the Hearing Unit."
According to Banker's now-revoked licensure, he specialized in diagnostic radiology with a sub-specialty in vascular and interventional radiology, medical fields not typically associated with cosmetic surgeries such as breast augmentation and liposuction.
According to the American College of Radiology, a diagnostic radiologist uses imaging procedures to assess and diagnose patients. Interventional radiologists "diagnose and treat patients using image-guided, minimally invasive techniques such as X-rays and MRI."
Luxe Laser Center, a med-spa opened in 2014, advertises skin perfecting, removals of fat, tattoos and hair, laser treatment, facial rejuvenation, hormone replacement and breast augmentation, among other services, on its website.
WTOL 11 left a voicemail at Luxe Laser Center Wednesday night but did not receive a response.
On Thursday, spokeswomen with ProMedica and Mercy Health said Baker is not credentialed with any of their facilities.