Victims Recount Military Doc’s Sexual Abuse; UnitedHealth Doctors Questioned

Welcome to the latest edition of Investigative Roundup, highlighting some of the best investigative reporting on healthcare each week.

Victims Recount Military Doctor’s Sexual Abuse

Victims of military physician Michael Stockin, MD, testified during a military court hearing last week, recalling his alleged abuse and how it impacted their lives, The Seattle Times reported.

A Navy officer and about a dozen soldiers testified, offering similar stories, according to the article. They were in severe pain and hoped Stockin’s treatment would help them. While many questioned their experiences, they often dismissed them because of Stockin’s rank and expertise.

One Navy officer who was being treated for shoulder pain said he pushed back when Stockin asked him to remove his boxers, but ultimately complied.

“It’s embarrassing to discuss. You don’t want to be viewed as someone who has been sexually touched inappropriately,” the officer said.

Stockin admitted to asking patients to take off their underwear when it was medically unnecessary to then look at and grope their genitals for his own sexual gratification, the article stated. He has pleaded guilty to 36 counts of abusive sexual contact and 5 counts of indecent viewing, and faces up to almost 14 years in prison.

UnitedHealth Doctors Questioned

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is interviewing at least two former UnitedHealth Group physicians, two sources told STAT.

Both doctors had been interviewed for STAT‘s series on UnitedHealth, and they described how patient care deteriorated after being acquired by Optum, a subsidiary of the healthcare giant. They also said they were encouraged to upcode Medicare Advantage patients under the new ownership.

“We were not truly caring for patients anymore,” Susan Baumgaertel, MD, who was recently contacted by an attorney from the DOJ’s antitrust division, told STAT. “We were just micromanaging their care to bring in money. It just felt so unconscionable.”

The DOJ is investigating UnitedHealth’s market power as well as the relationship between its insurance and provider subsidiaries, though it’s unknown if the physician interviews are part of that investigation. The company has been under particular scrutiny after the murder of its insurance business CEO Brian Thompson last month.

Accused Gender-Affirming Care Doc Speaks Out

Pediatric endocrinologist Hector Granados, MD, first heard that he was being sued by the state’s Attorney General from a friend, El Paso Matters reported.

Granados, one of three doctors being sued by the state attorney general for allegedly providing gender-affirming care to minors despite a state ban, denied the allegations against him.

“I was always respectful of the law and I will continue to be because we follow what it specifically mandates,” Granados told El Paso Matters. “You’re not able to provide transgender care to minors. We stopped.”

Granados told the outlet that he even stopped providing gender-affirming care services early — in May 2023 — as soon as the Texas bill banning that care passed. He said he didn’t want to risk getting his medical license revoked.

Granados is one of only two pediatric endocrinologists in El Paso County. The other one is his former resident who later joined Granados’ private practice. The Attorney General’s lawsuit calls Granados a “radical gender activist.”

Patients and families under his care, mostly for conditions like type 1 diabetes, are worried about the lawsuit and potentially having to travel further for care. Beyond Granados’ practice, the next closest pediatric endocrinologists are across the border in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, or a 4-hour drive to Albuquerque, New Mexico.

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