Medical board prescribes more training for Las Vegas OB-GYN accused of misconduct
The Nevada medical board on Friday approved a settlement agreement that allows a Las Vegas OB-GYN accused by multiple patients of misconduct to continue practicing medicine while requiring him to receive more training in professional boundaries.
The Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners approved the agreement resolving a February complaint with claims by six patients of inappropriate exams and unprofessional remarks, including offers to pose nude.
The complaint also includes requests to patients for money to help pay for his legal defense against a complaint the medical board filed in September 2022 with similar allegations by three different patients, two of whom have been interviewed by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Chambers has said he was seeking nude models to pose for advertisements of his gynecological cosmetic surgery business.
“There’s a pattern that needs to be stopped,” said board member Joseph Olivarez before voting to approve the settlement.
The board factored into Friday’s settlement that the alleged incidents happened before the board imposed discipline in connection with the original complaint.
Following the board’s vote, Chambers, who attended the meeting in Las Vegas, said he had no comment.
Most board members attended the meeting in Reno, and it was teleconferenced to the board’s Las Vegas office.
The February complaint alleges multiple counts of malpractice; failure to maintain complete medical records; disruptive behavior; engaging in conduct that violates the trust of a patient and exploits the relationship with the patient for financial or other personal gain; and continual failure to practice medicine properly.
In the settlement, Chambers admits to five violations of failing to maintain complete medical records and four violations of engaging in conduct that violates the trust of a patient and exploits the relationship.
Board action ‘too lenient’
The settlement agreement requires Chambers to complete 10 hours of continuing medical education related to boundaries and ethics within six months. It also requires that he pay $13,000 to reimburse the board for expenses related to the investigation. And it requires him to move to using only an electronic medical records system.
The conditions that were imposed by the board in connection with the earlier complaint remain in place, including having an approved chaperone when seeing patients in a non-hospital setting and refraining from photographing patients.
“I just would like to reiterate that it’s very, very important that Dr. Chambers goes with the plan,” said board member Maggie Arias-Petrel. “We want to make sure that he’s compliant.”
There was some board discussion that noncompliance could result in the revocation of Chambers’ medical license.
Former patient Nicolette Matthews, who has filed a complaint with the board against Chambers, is also suing him, alleging sexual assault during an exam. She said the board has been “way too lenient” with Chambers.
“His license should be revoked,” she wrote in a text message exchange with the Review-Journal.
In September of 2023, the board suspended the revocation of Chambers’ license provided that he meet its conditions, after finding he engaged in disreputable conduct and demonstrated a continual failure to practice medicine properly. Its conditions included completing 60 hours of continuing medical education in ethics and professional boundaries, and paying a $6,000 fine and $54,000 in costs associated with the proceedings.
Chambers has struggled to pay the fines and costs.
In July, the board’s investigative committee summarily suspended Chambers’ license for failure to meet a March deadline to fulfill its conditions. The board lifted the suspension in October, giving him additional time to meet the requirements.
An order by the board in March of this year gave Chambers additional time to pay off $47,400 in remaining costs and $5,250 in fines.
Chambers’ attorney, Libo Agwara, said in October that the probationary conditions had made it difficult for his client to obtain employment and pay the fees and costs.
Contact Mary Hynes at mhynes@reviewjournal.com or at 702-383-0336. Follow @MaryHynes1 on X. Hynes is a member of the Review-Journal’s investigative team, focusing on reporting that holds leaders and agencies accountable and exposes wrongdoing.
