The Washington Medical Commission restricted the license of Skagit County physician David Benson in the wake of accusations that he failed to provide appropriate treatment to pregnant patients and newborns.
The slew of accusations stemming from the treatment of 16 patients during a roughly two-year period included failure to respond in a timely manner to medical concerns raised by nursing staff, failure to consult with specialists for management of high-risk patients, and failure to assess and manage high-risk maternal conditions.
Dr. Benson’s “alleged practice poses an immediate threat to patient safety,” according to documents filed by the Washington Medical Commission. “Dr. Benson is prohibited from practicing obstetrics and newborn care while his license is restricted.”
Dr. Benson was not immediately available for comment.
Among the allegations detailed by the Washington Medical Commission was that Dr. Benson performed a c-section without first verifying that the fetus was still in the breech position.
Because Dr. Benson “did not verify the position of the fetus prior to performing the c-section, Patient P [all patient names were excluded from public documents] underwent a surgery that may not have been medically indicated” and he “performed the surgery without proper informed consent.”
In another case, Dr. Benson is accused of providing 20-week anatomy scans on two patients, interpreting them himself. He went on to provide insufficient documentation with the scans, which were not included in the patient’s medical records, the documents stated.
Both the patient’s children were diagnosed with congenital heart defects following their births, a medical issue that might “have been seen on anatomy scans,” according to the Washington Medical Commission.
An employee at North Cascade Family Physicians, where Dr. Benson started working earlier this year, told Cascadia Daily News on Wednesday, Sept. 4, that the physician was out of the office.
“When a decision like this is made, our focus is on meeting the requirements of the medical commission’s decision,” said Michele Anderson, the director of marketing, communications and project management for North Cascade Family Physicians. “We responded quickly and willingly to comply and worked closely with patients affected by the decision to make sure they continued to receive appropriate care.”
The Family Care Network, which includes the North Cascade practice, states that Dr. Benson completed medical school at the University of Washington before his residency at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia. He then served four years as an active-duty Navy physician with the Marines in Japan and Oak Harbor, before a fellowship in high-risk obstetrics and women’s health at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, according to the health care provider’s website.
Dr. Benson operated Valley Roots Family Care in Skagit until announcing the closure of the practice on March 8, 2024, to join North Cascades Family Physicians.
“It was a very difficult decision for us to close the doors of Valley Roots Family Care,” a closure letter on the physician’s website states. “Unfortunately, the demands of operating on our own in such a complex health care environment could not be sustained in a way that allowed us to focus on what we love most — caring for our patients.”
This story was updated Sept. 5 at 3:13 p.m. to include a comment by Michele Anderson.
Isaac Stone Simonelli is CDN’s enterprise/investigations reporter; reach him at isaacsimonelli@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 127.
