WA’s main supplier for minor gender reassignment procedures has already been fined $5 million

In Washington, Lynnwood-based Alderwood Surgical Center has performed more than twice as many gender reassignment surgeries on minors as Seattle Children’s Hospital Gender Clinic (50), making it the leading surgery center of sex reassignment in the state in terms of total number of patients. That data is according to the non-profit organization Do No Harm and limited to 2019-2023.

The surgical center was class seventh in the nation among medical providers in the number of patients undergoing sex reassignment surgery (120) and tenth in total charges ($1.9 million), although this figure does not include patients who have paid out of their own pocket. The surgical center also ranked eighth in the nation for the number of surgeries performed, at 147.

Do no harm is a nonprofit group of doctors and other health care professionals that takes its name from the Hippocratic Oath: “First, do no harm. » According to its website, Do No Harm “fights to reduce the unscientific and individually harmful practice of so-called ‘gender-affirming care'” for children.

The surgical center has recently faced legal issues, starting in 2022, when it was continued by the AGO, which accused him of “a pattern of illegal, unfair, and deceptive acts or practices” that violated numerous laws, including the Consumer Review Fairness Act, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and the Washington Consumer Protection Act.

The complaint alleged that Allure Esthetic, which operates under various names including Alderwood Surgery Center, also named in the lawsuit, “systematically suppressed negative patient reviews” by requiring patients to sign a nondisclosure agreement, sometimes even before receiving a consultation. “this purported to restrict the patient’s right to publish truthful information about their experience with the defendants’ service.”

“When patients posted negative reviews despite the pre-go-live NDA, defendants contacted them and used the pre-go-live NDA – and threatened, or implied threat, to sue in court to enforce it – to force them to remove the negative reviews,” the complaint further alleges.

The complaint also claimed that the surgery center “requested and retained tens of thousands of dollars in patient discounts” and used “deceptive digital alterations of ‘before and after’ photos and used the altered photos to advertise on Instagram and other online media to make the results of surgery and other cosmetic services look better than they really were.

The defendants in this case requested partial judgment on the pleadings last year, but denied by a United States District Court judge.

As part of consent decree reached earlier this year, the surgery center was forced to pay $1.5 million in restitution to 21,000 Washington residents, with the remaining amount of the $5 million fine covering the cost of attorney’s fees the AGO and execution of the consent judgment.

Alderwood Surgery Center is currently facing another trial filed in June by the American pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company, which alleges that the surgery center “designed its websites, social media and advertising materials to deceive patients into believing that the defendants offer a means of obtain Lilly’s clinically studied drugs, when in reality Defendants offer no such thing.

“Defendants falsely and illegally trade on the work, reputation and goodwill of Lilly, offering unproven and unapproved compounded drugs as if they were genuine Lilly drugs or generic versions of those -this,” the complaint states.

When The Center Square contacted Washington GOP Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, he wrote, “the facts are still emerging around allegations of questionable medical practices at this ‘surgical center.’ But the preliminary reports are definitely troubling.”

He added that if the surgical center “performs sex reassignment operations on minor children, then the case for limiting such operations becomes stronger.” And more urgent. Washington law must protect minor children from exploitation.

Center Square has contacted Alderwood Surgical Center via email to comment on Do No Harm’s data and confirm whether it continues to perform gender reassignment surgeries on minors and, if so, whether there are any restrictions on the types of procedures performed. Center Square also asked the surgical center for comment on its latest lawsuit filed by Eli Lilly and Company. The surgical center did not respond.