SEATTLE — The Washington State Medical Commission has suspended a Pierce County doctor after Virginia revoked his license for allowing military medical students to conduct invasive procedures on each other, and inject each other with drugs, sometimes in combination with alcohol.
Dr. John Hagmann of Gig Harbor is a government contractor who trains the military in combat medicine through his business Deployment Medical International, or DMI, which operates in a half-dozen states. A message left for Hagmann wasn’t immediately returned.
The Virginia Board of Medicine revoked his license on July 6, saying its investigation found that he violated 11 codes and regulations. Hagmann exploited the participants in the military courses for his personal gain, the board said.
“Dr. Hagmann violated the trust of his students on all levels in one of the most egregious misuses of the multiple relationships between physicians, patients and students,” the board said in its 22-page order.
According to the Virginia board’s investigation, Hagmann photographed and manipulated a drunk student’s genitals. The report said he told students to consume alcohol and then injected them with a hallucinogen to test its effects on their cognitive skills. He also instructed course participants to catheterize each other, the report said.
In 2012, he conducted one or more “shock labs,” in which he would withdraw blood from medical students to watch for signs of shock, the report said.
The investigation found that Hagmann did not monitor or record the students’ vital signs during the various procedures he or other students did on them.
Drinking, drugs
Hagmann’s attorney, Ramon Rodriguez, said in June that he informed the Virginia Board of Medicine that Hagmann would not be able to attend the hearing on his case. “Despite having advanced knowledge of this fact and other concerns to reschedule the hearing, the Board of Medicine has decided to proceed in Dr. Hagmann’s absence,” Rodriguez said.
Virginia revoked his license on July 6 based on several violations, including practicing while drunk and dispensing drugs without a license.
The Washington Medical Quality Assurance Commission issued a statement of charges Aug. 12 that outline Virginia’s findings and violations. His suspension went into effect Aug. 14, said Marqise Allen, spokesman for the Washington Department of Health.
Larry Berg, a lawyer with the Washington Medical Commission, said Hagmann has until Sept. 6 to challenge the summary suspension of his license and to respond the state’s charges. If he does respond, the commission would call a hearing to discuss whether the suspension was appropriate. They also could call a hearing on the charges.
