Spartanburg Plastic Surgeon Thomas Roberts Suspended After Misconduct Complaints

The SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) says that the State Board of Medical Examiners has suspended the license of a Spartanburg Plastic Surgeon after complaints of misconduct.

LLR says Dr. Thomas Roberts III is the head of the Plastic Surgery Center of the Carolinas.

According to documents, Roberts left the operating room for up to 8 hours while patients were under anesthesia. Read document

He's also accused of engaging in sexual misconduct with staff members who were also his patients.

News Channel 7 stopped by Dr. Roberts' office... a spokesperson told us Dr. Roberts has already complied with all of the Board's requirements to have his license reinstated, including a $25,000 fine and ethics training. They're just waiting on the board's approval.

If Roberts gets his license back, he must provide quarterly reports to the board, and appear before the board twice a year.

If any other incidents happen during he will be suspended immediately pending a hearing before the board.

Roberts released the following statement:

"The South Carolina State Board of Medical Examiners recently released the final order concerning Dr. Thomas Roberts III in a matter that was initiated nearly a year ago. Concerning said matter, Dr. Roberts decided to waive his right to a formal hearing and, instead, proceeded with agreement to Board’s findings and thus moved forward with compliance of all Board’s conditions and protocols.

Regarding the stated conditions, Dr. Roberts has fully complied with conditions, having paid the costs and fines in August 2009 and completed the ethics course in early October 2009. The director of the ethics course stated of Dr. Roberts, “My overall assessment of Dr. Roberts’s capacities for ethical thinking and insight is without reservation.” A practical/surgical monitoring program has been established and presented to the Board for approval, of which Dr. Roberts eagerly awaits the Board’s approval.

Upon the initial matter in 2008, Dr. Roberts voluntarily entered an program at the nation’s top treatment center, Behavioral Medicine Institute (BMI), and upon successful completion of the treatment in December 2008, the director of the program concluded that “Dr. Roberts could continue to practice plastic surgery without posing any danger to patients or staff. “ In the year since that time, Dr. Roberts has been re-evaluated twice by the BMI team who reinforced their prior positive recommendation.

“I have met all requirements the Board has asked of me and look forward to having the final component of a monitoring program approved and initiated, and therefore complete all Board conditions. I truly regret the grief this has caused to those close to me and greatly appreciate the tremendous support provided to me from my wife, family, staff, colleagues, patients, and friends. ”