Iowa Medical Board Fines Surgeon $5,000 After Danger Claim
The Iowa Board of Medicine has fined a Des Moines surgeon $5,000 after previously declaring him an immediate danger to the public. Dr. Qasim L. Chaudhry, the former director of the Iowa Methodist Transplant Center, faced serious charges of professional incompetence and misleading patients. Despite findings that he failed to meet the standard of care and knowingly misled a patient's family, the board opted against suspending his medical license.
Board reverses emergency suspension over procedural error
Earlier this year, the Iowa Board of Medicine took the drastic step of suspending Chaudhry's medical license through an emergency adjudicative order. At the time, the board stated that Chaudhry poses an immediate danger to the public and that no interim safeguards would be sufficient to protect public health and safety.
However, that emergency suspension was lifted in late February after a significant bureaucratic misstep. A closed-door hearing on Feb. 5 and 6, 2026, was held before three board members: Dr. Jerry Rozeboom, Dr. Robert Donnelly, and public representative Diane McDonald. After the evidence was presented, the board discovered that Iowa law requires disciplinary hearings to be attended by a panel of at least three board members licensed in the profession. Because the panel was not lawfully empaneled, the hearing had to be rescheduled. The board then stated it had received additional information to negate the need for an emergency suspension, allowing Chaudhry to return to practice.
What happened to the two Iowa patients?
The board's case against Chaudhry centered on his treatment of two patients with liver disease, identified by the initials R.B. and R.C.
In the case of R.C., a 79-year-old man, the complainant alleged the patient was not healthy enough for surgery to address hundreds of liver cysts and a hernia. After the surgery, Chaudhry transferred R.C. to a care facility that lacked the capability to handle an obvious wound complication. R.C. died after the transfer. A peer review found Chaudhry failed to meet the standard of care, but the board ultimately concluded the state failed to prove any regulatory violations regarding this patient's care.
In the case of R.B., a 69-year-old man with liver cancer, the complaint alleged Chaudhry did not complete an operation and failed to place a surgical drain. This failure allegedly allowed fluid to fill the patient's abdominal cavity, leading to readmission and death. Chaudhry argued the procedure was exploratory and that a drain would not have alleviated fluid buildup caused by advanced cancer.
Surgeon defends record with high-risk patients
During his hearing, Chaudhry defended his practice by stating he often takes on the sickest and most difficult patients, which comes with a high rate of surgical complications.
I am very careful to advise patients of this, but for many this is their only option or last hope!
Despite this defense, a peer review examination found that Chaudhry failed to meet the expected standard of care in the R.B. case, including ignoring the recommendations of an oncologist.
Why did the board issue only a $5,000 fine?
The board concluded that Chaudhry failed to inform patient R.B. about the relatively high possibility that the surgery would be purely exploratory and that the proposed liver resectioning would not be possible. Furthermore, the board found Chaudhry knowingly provided misleading representations to R.B. and his wife regarding the likelihood of a successful liver resectioning.
Even with these findings, the board determined that Chaudhry's failures did not negatively impact the patient's prognosis or course of cancer treatment. As a result, the board decided a license suspension was not warranted and issued a $5,000 civil penalty instead.
In recent years, Chaudhry was named in three medical malpractice lawsuits filed by patients or their families alleging negligent care. Chaudhry denied the allegations in all three cases. Court records show one case was dropped after an out-of-court settlement, while the other two lawsuits were dropped with no indication of whether a settlement was involved.
Who is Dr. Qasim L. Chaudhry?
Dr. Qasim L. Chaudhry has been an Iowa-licensed physician since June 2010. He previously served as the director of the Iowa Methodist Transplant Center and as the surgical director of the Iowa Donor Network.
Was the surgeon's license suspended by the board?
Yes, the Iowa Board of Medicine initially suspended Dr. Chaudhry's license through an emergency order in early 2026, stating he posed an immediate danger to the public. The board lifted the suspension in late February 2026 after discovering a procedural error in empaneling the hearing board and citing additional information that negated the need for emergency action.
What standard of care violations did the board find?
The board found that Dr. Chaudhry failed to meet the expected standard of care by ignoring an oncologist's recommendations, failing to inform a patient about the high likelihood of an exploratory surgery, and providing misleading representations about the chances of a successful liver resectioning.