What the public didn’t know about Dr. Yvon Baribeau

November 1992

At 36, Dr. Yvon Baribeau starts practicing medicine at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, N.H. after receiving his state medical license (above).

August 1994

Baribeau performs lung surgery on Warren Garland, a man in his 60s. Garland dies about a year and a half later. The family files a medical malpractice lawsuit, which is settled in 1998 for about $1 million, according to an internal hospital document obtained by the Globe.

January 1996

Baribeau is featured in the first of several articles about the hospital's cardiothoracic surgery program in the New Hampshire Union Leader, a newspaper based in Manchester, including a later story that depicts him as “a kid with a new toy” as he uses a new robotic device.

August 1998

Roland Bourque, a man in his 60s, begins receiving treatment from Baribeau’s practice, including vascular surgery performed by Baribeau. That is followed by other procedures, including amputation of his left leg. The family sues for alleged medical malpractice in 2002, but later drops the lawsuit. A family attorney declines to say why.

February 1999

CMC’s New England Heart Institute launches a marketing campaign in The Boston Globe (above), featuring photos of Baribeau as a pioneering surgeon.

March 2005

Norman Thomas Krakie, a man in his 30s, has valve replacement surgery performed by Baribeau. He later dies. The family sues the hospital and Baribeau's surgical group for alleged malpractice and eventually reaches a confidential settlement for an undisclosed amount. They are barred from speaking publicly about it.

Around 2005

Alarmed by Baribeau’s high raw mortality rate, hospital executives hire a consultant to observe Baribeau and then increase oversight of Baribeau's selection of patients suitable for surgery.

2007-2008

Baribeau gets surgery for back and hand problems. Over the years, he will undergo multiple procedures for back and hand ailments, according to his 2020 disability insurance lawsuit.

July 2012

A woman in her 50s undergoes cardiac surgery performed by Baribeau. She dies the next day. Her family files a medical malpractice claim and reaches a confidential settlement for an undisclosed amount that also bars them from speaking publicly. This was one of 17 claims that Baribeau settled after his retirement. He said he admitted no fault in any of them.

August 2012

Union Leader article featuring Baribeau describes CMC’s introduction of a pinhole “TEVAR” procedure to treat aortic aneurysms without cracking open a patient's chest.

November 2012

Patient Aminda Daviduk undergoes her second aortic valve replacement surgery performed by Baribeau. She later sues alleging medical malpractice, then drops the suit. She told the Globe she couldn't find a lawyer to pursue the case.

January 2013

A colleague operates on a man in his 50s and Baribeau is on call for problems afterwards. The patient later dies. His family files a medical malpractice claim and reaches a confidential settlement for an undisclosed amount that also bars them from speaking publicly.

January 2013

The hospital board of trustees, reviewing the death in 2012 of the woman in her 50s, gives Baribeau a letter of reprimand and places him on a one-year conditional appointment, which is ultimately extended by another year.

June 2013

After a review of the case involving the man in his 50s who died in January (above), the hospital suspends Baribeau’s operating privileges for 28 days, and he is ordered to undergo an independent medical evaluation.

June 2013

The New Hampshire Board of Medicine begins an investigation of Baribeau prompted by his 28-day suspension, but declines to take any further disciplinary action against him. His public profile on the board's website remains flawless.

September 2014

Frank Pellegrino, a previous Baribeau patient in his 70s, comes into the emergency department with a critical behind-the-knee blood clot. Baribeau does an elective surgery on a different patient first. Pellegrino's leg has to later be amputated. Family sues for medical malpractice. According to a hospital document obtained by the Globe, there is a $500,000 settlement with the family.

April 2015

Catholic Medical Center's board chair Rick Botnick issues a “Letter of Concern” to Baribeau, focused on the 2014 Pellegrino case and warning him that it marks his third patient safety-related incident in a little over two years. Botnick writes that any similar incidents may lead to termination.

December 2015

Baribeau operates on Louis Marcoux, a man in his 50s, to remove blood clots blocking a graft in his leg. Marcoux later dies. Family sues for medical malpractice. The case settled for an undisclosed confidential amount.

November 2016

Dr. David Goldberg, a cardiologist who has raised concerns about Baribeau, is abruptly placed on administrative leave, then negotiates departure terms with the hospital. He later files a federal whistle-blower lawsuit that, among other things, alleges "substandard care" and manipulation of patient mortality statistics by Baribeau.

November 2016

A man in his 60s undergoes heart surgery performed by Baribeau. The patient later dies. The family files a medical malpractice claim and reaches a confidential settlement for an undisclosed amount that also bars them from speaking publicly.

Early 2017

Allegations start to surface that Baribeau pushes to keep patients with little or no hope of recovery alive to improve his surgical survival metrics. The whistle-blower lawsuit, filed later, and some physicians allege that he kept patients on life-support machines or timed their transfer to hospice in a way that would improve his statistics. Baribeau and the hospital deny this allegation.

January 2017

A man in his 80s goes in for heart surgery performed by Baribeau. The patient later dies. The family files a medical malpractice claim and reaches a confidential settlement for an undisclosed amount that also bars them from speaking publicly.

August 2017

A woman in her 60s has heart surgery performed by Baribeau. She experiences massive blood loss and requires extensive transfusions. She later dies. Family files a medical malpractice claim and reaches a confidential settlement for an undisclosed amount.

August 2017

A man in his 70s undergoes heart surgery performed by Baribeau. The patient later dies. The family files a medical malpractice claim and reaches a confidential settlement for an undisclosed amount.

October 2017

A woman in her 50s undergoes heart surgery performed by Baribeau. The family files a medical malpractice claim and reaches a confidential settlement for an undisclosed amount.

November 2017

A woman in her 50s has chest-area surgery performed by Baribeau. She files a medical malpractice claim and reaches a confidential settlement for an undisclosed amount.

November 2017

A man in his 60s undergoes heart surgery performed by Baribeau. The patient dies. The family files a medical malpractice claim and reaches a confidential settlement for an undisclosed amount.

December 2017

Baribeau is featured with another surgeon in New Hampshire Magazine as “The Faces of Vein Health” in an item (above) announcing that Catholic Medical Center is opening a new “state-of-the-art” vascular center. It says he and his colleague will “help patients feel, look and be their best.”

January 2018

A man in his 50s has heart surgery, and later dies.The family files a medical malpractice claim and reaches a confidential settlement for an undisclosed amount.

Early 2018

Five respected physicians at Catholic Medical Center separately visit Monsignor John Quinn, a former diocese appointee to the hospital board of trustees, at his Bedford parish with an extraordinary request. They say Baribeau has hurt many patients and ask Quinn for help.

March 2018

A man in his 60s undergoes heart surgery performed by Baribeau. The patient dies days later. The family files a medical malpractice claim and reaches a confidential settlement for an undisclosed amount.

April 2018

Baribeau is discovered to have colon cancer. He cancels a scheduled operation, goes to the ER, and undergoes surgery.

May 2018

Baribeau begins chemotherapy, according to a confidential legal document obtained by the Globe. His return to surgical work while undergoing cancer treatment alarms some colleagues at the hospital. Baribeau told the Globe he never operated while impaired.

June 2018

Dr. David Goldberg, the former Catholic Medical Center cardiologist, files a 21-page federal whistle-blower lawsuit that is sealed (above). It alleges that the hospital was involved in a Medicare and Medicaid kickback scheme involving a local cardiologist who referred many cases to the hospital. But most of the lawsuit deals with Baribeau, including allegations of a dozen cases of “substandard care." It also alleges the manipulation of mortality statistics involving three other patients.

June 2018

A man in his 70s undergoes heart surgery performed by Baribeau. The family files a medical malpractice claim and reaches a confidential settlement for an undisclosed amount.

July 2018

A man in his 70s undergoes heart surgery performed by Baribeau. He is placed on a heart and lung machine due to severe problems. The case is linked to allegations that Baribeau was focused on keeping patients alive even past little or no hope of recovery to improve his surgical metrics. Baribeau, through his attorney, denies that he ever tried to manipulate surgical mortality data. The family files a medical malpractice claim and reaches a confidential settlement for an undisclosed amount.

July 2018

A man in his 80s undergoes heart surgery performed by Baribeau. The patient later dies. The family files a medical malpractice claim and reaches a confidential settlement for an undisclosed amount.

July 2018

Catholic Medical Center allows Baribeau and other medical staff to be featured in a Union Leader story about the hospital offering a less invasive robotic-assisted form of thoracic surgery.

July 2018

A man in his 70s undergoes heart surgery performed by Baribeau. The family files a medical malpractice claim and reaches a confidential settlement for an undisclosed amount.

August 2018

A man in his 60s undergoes heart surgery performed by Baribeau. The family files a medical malpractice claim and reaches a confidential settlement for an undisclosed amount.

August 2018

After escalating complaints by medical staff, concerned about Baribeau's performance, he temporarily stops doing surgery.

October 2018

In a Union Leader article, Baribeau and another surgeon, Dr. Patricia Furey, represent Catholic Medical Center as it promotes a new approach to peripheral artery disease.

December 2018

Baribeau is placed on the on-call schedule for surgery during the Christmas holidays, but doesn't end up performing any operations.

December 2018

Upon hearing that Baribeau is likely to return to the operating room, Dr. David Goldberg's attorney in the whistle-blower lawsuit, Charles “Chuck” Douglas III, sends a letter to the N.H. Board of Medicine (above) requesting that they intervene and warning that Dr. Baribeau's scheduled return on Christmas Eve after a temporary leave of absence could pose a risk to patient safety The letter, presented as a “Confidential Complaint,” says Baribeau “has committed a series of unreported, avoidable instances of medical malpractice and neglect, resulting in loss of limb and life to his patients.”

December 2018

Holly Haines, a lawyer at Mark Abramson’s firm, which handled more than a dozen Baribeau settlements, sends a letter to the hospital, attaching Douglas’s letter about Baribeau to the Board of Medicine. Haines informs the hospital that her firm is representing the families of patients referenced in that letter. Haines also writes that putting Baribeau back on the surgical schedule would expose CMC to further risk if additional patients are harmed. Ultimately, Baribeau would not return to the operating room.

2019

Baribeau shifts to work at CMC's Vein & Vascular Specialists center in Bedford, which handles outpatient elective issues, but concerns continue to be raised.

August 2019

Dr. Joseph Pepe, the hospital CEO, announces Baribeau’s retirement in an e-mail on Aug. 29 (above). “I know I speak of all for us [sic] in being grateful for Dr. Baribeau’s vision and commitment to his colleagues, his patients, and to advancing cardiac care in New Hampshire. His presence will undoubtedly be missed here, but please join me in thanking him for his dedication to CMC and wishing him the very best as he begins a new chapter in his life.”

Fall 2020

Hospital lawyers hold negotiations about medical malpractice claims covering more than a dozen patients brought by New Hampshire lawyer Mark Abramson and his firm. CEO Alex Walker (then chief operating officer) declined to comment to the Globe about these cases.

September 2020

Baribeau files a disability insurance lawsuit. As part of the lawsuit, Baribeau will submit documents listing his surgeries and other procedures over the years for his back and both hands, and stating that those ailments have become debilitating (above).

December 2020

Baribeau settles seven malpractice claims. These settlements and others over his career will appear on the website for the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine (below), which requires posting of such payouts of doctors licensed in the state. Though such information is available to all state boards through a national database, New Hampshire's medical board chooses not to display doctors' settlements on its website. Baribeau's attorney says Baribeau settled claims in 2020 and 2021 to avoid protracted litigation and has not admitted fault in any of them.

January-February 2021

Baribeau settles another 10 medical malpractice claims against him, according to the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine website.

February 2022

The federal whistle-blower complaint is settled. The US attorney for New Hampshire announces that Catholic Medical Center will pay $3.8 million to resolve the allegations about the cardiology kickback scheme. The hospital does not admit liability. Federal authorities do not act on the allegations against Baribeau. The release of the whistle-blower complaint and settlement marks the first time the public would get a glimpse of the detailed allegations against Baribeau regarding his care of patients.

Present

The New Hampshire Board of Medicine website (above) continues to show Baribeau as a flawless surgeon, and hospital executives still defend Baribeau's tenure as exemplary.