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ASHLAND Doctor under investigation for unsafe practices Patients may have been exposed to blood-borne viruses at doctor's California office Comment By Teresa Thomas For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Teresa Thomas For the Tidings Posted Apr. 14, 2015 at 7:28 PM By Teresa Thomas For the Tidings Posted Apr. 14, 2015 at 7:28 PM » Social News An Ashland doctor’s Santa Barbara, Calif., practice has been shut down temporarily and his local practice is under investigation after health officials determined he was not complying with safe infection-control measures. Dr. Allen Thomashefsky, who specializes in nonsurgical orthopedics, including regenerative injection therapy, was initially investigated by the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department after someone with hepatitis C informed health officials that he or she recently had been treated at Thomashefsky’s Santa Barbara office. Although it has not been determined whether the patient contracted the blood-borne illness from that office, the investigation revealed “serious concerns of infection control procedures and practices,” said Susan Klein-Rothschild, a Santa Barbara County Public Health Department spokeswoman. “As a result, we decided to launch an in-depth investigation and notify patients who may have been exposed to blood-borne viruses,” Klein-Rothschild said. The health department notified patients who had undergone injection procedures at Thomashefsky’s Santa Barbara office over the past seven years, requested their medical records and recommended that they get lab work done for blood-borne illnesses such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV. The department also informed the Oregon Health Authority on March 11 that seven Oregon residents were among those who had been treated at Thomashefsky’s Santa Barbara office. Since then, OHA, in collaboration with the Jackson County Public Health Department, has opened an investigation of Thomashefsky’s Ashland practice. During a visit to Thomashefsky’s Ashland office, an OHA consultant and Dr. Jim Shames, Jackson County's health officer, observed breaches in “safe injection practices, the safe processing of blood products intended for injection … and correct medication stock management,” said OHA spokesman Jonathan Modie. The guidelines for safe injection practices are set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and include washing hands before preparing injections, using needles and syringes only once, never re-entering a medication vial with a used syringe or needle and never using medications packaged as a single dose for single use for more than one patient, Modie explained. Modie did not specify which guidelines Thomashefsky had failed to meet. “Our first step was to let him know what we observed and offer recommendations for remediation,” Shames said. “(Thomashefsky) took it very seriously and was very cooperative, and he wanted to make changes immediately,” Shames added. “There is no evidence that any diseases have been transmitted, but we just want to make sure that the risk is reduced to a minimum." Modie also emphasized that no Oregon hepatitis or HIV cases have been linked to injections at the Thomashefsky’s Ashland or Santa Barbara clinics. Although the Santa Barbara office has been closed since March 19, pending the outcome of the investigation, the Ashland office, as of Tuesday afternoon, was open. Modie said OHA has kept the Oregon Medical Board apprised of any findings, but according to Nicole Krishnaswami, an OMB operations and policy analyst, no formal disciplinary action has been taken and all complaints are confidential. Phone calls to Thomashefsky’s Ashland and Santa Barbara offices Tuesday afternoon were not immediately returned. In a statement to a local news outlet earlier this week, Thomashefsky said: "The safety and well-being of the patients in our care has always been our primary concern. Our office has an exceptional record in this regard. ... We have been working closely with our local and state health departments and have hired an infection control consultant who is working with us to review our practices to assure that we are using the most current best-practice recommendations from the CDC and the Oregon Public Health Department in order that we may continue to offer our patients the highest level of care." Reach reporter Teresa Thomas at 541-776-4497 or [email protected]. Follow her at www.twitter.com/teresathomas_mt. By Teresa Thomas For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Teresa Thomas For the Tidings Posted Apr. 14, 2015 at 7:28 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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