Once upon a time, there were 10 ventilators in a building on East Airport Drive in Baton Rouge that could have been used to treat COVID-19 patients.
Once upon a time, that 22,000-square-foot-building on East Airport Drive also contained four operating rooms, two recovery rooms, a CT scanner, an MRI scanner, oxygen, a lab and sterilization facilities.
No more. Not since 2016 when state authorities raided the offices of Dr. Arnold Feldman at the behest of the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners which decided it would come down hard on Dr. Feldman for offenses that have never been fully explained.
They pulled his license as his punishment. But then, the board has since offered to reinstate him—provided he pays nearly half-a-million dollars in extortion fees.
Why would I call it extortion? Consider this: His fine was $5,000 but the “cost” of the proceeding [court costs, if you will] was a cool $456,980.60. Anyone from the board care to explain that in a way that makes sense?
Didn’t think so.
Could it have been coincidental that Dr. Feldman was considered to be competition for Dr. J. Michael Burdine, who was founder of and a PARTNER in The Spine Diagnostic Promotional Clinic on Flanders Drive?
Could it also have been mere coincidence that Burdine was serving as president of the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners at the time Feldman was shut down?
An added note of interest is that Burdine is an officer in the LOUISIANA SOCIETY OF INTERVENTIONAL PAIN. A fellow officer in the organization is lobbyist Alton Ashy.
Ashy is a power player of some renown around the Louisiana State Capitol. Among his long list clients is the Spine Diagnostic Center of Baton Rouge.
So Burdine, in his capacity as president of the State Board of Medical Examiners, took out one of the main competitors of his Spine Diagnostic Center which is represented before the legislature and the governor by lobbyist Alton Ashy who sits on the board of the Louisiana Society of Interventional Pain with Burdine.
You’d be surprised what small circles some people move in in Baton Rouge. Tight little circles like that are difficult to penetrate and like tightly-formed hurricanes, pack considerable clout.
Meanwhile, 10 ventilators and an assortment of other critical medical equipment are no longer available. They were sold by Dr. Feldman, who now resides in a motor home in Florida when he could be in Baton Rouge treating coronavirus patients.
Only in Louisiana…
Louisiana Voice 
Thanks for bringing this to light…..Dr Feldman was one of the few doctors that worked around the clock to help his patients. I have only met a handful of doctors that actually took the time to listen before rushing in and out. My aging parents loved him and he seemed to have a sincere affection for all of the elderly.
I doubt we will ever get to the truth in this matter, suffice to say they ruined a good man and a good practice…..all for what ?
Could it be for greed?
Check out the pain management companies and addiction treatment Centers, in my opinion they just wanted a bigger piece of the pie. They cut scripts and just wanted to inject steroids. A procedure costs much more than writing a script. The injections just cause more damage. The opioid med worked for the people but it did not pay. This was not about people, it is all about MONEY!
I’ve gone to see doctors for over 50 years. A real bad drilling rig accident in 1968 (@ 18 years old), car wreck in 1971, two other near death accidents since. I’ve had more than 30 operations in my life. I think I’m as qualified as anyone to give an opinion on the quality of treatment by a doctor, from the patient viewpoint. As a chronic pain sufferer, Dr. Arnold Feldman was my treating doctor for almost three years, before the “entitled assholes” took him from “we the people” that have excruciating pain every day of our lives. Out of the dozens of doctors that have treated me in the last 51 years, I would place Dr. Arnold Feldman in the TOP THREE. It is a demoralizing travesty what has been done to such a FINE DOCTOR. A poor black kid with a roach in his ashtray might spend a lengthy time behind bars in this state. What happens here?
Dr Feldman got majorly screwed and now a good competent physician cannot contribute to the C/V crisis!! Thanks to the greedy Medical Board in LA!! Way to screw over a great man and a great Doctor!!
I watched Feldman testify before the senate 2 years ago. It resulted in the medical board’s corrupt- investigator’s-lawyer-boyfriend (that handles board cases) screaming down and wanting to fight Sen. Milkovich. While it would make for an awesome tv ratings in a wrestling match, it represents the clown show that is Louisiana politics. Someone big is going to have to be perp walked for politicians to stop screwing us. I can’t wait for that day.
PS…Trump is the best President in my lifetime. #MAGA
That’s insane! & its not only in LA but unfortunately all throughout the US. & it seems like they are gong after the doctors that truly care & want to help their patients. Not money mongers like the rest. Its not fair how some feel like they can control the whole world & the people in it. Something needs to be done about this, like 4 years ago. It should have never happened to him & many other doctors. Let alone putting restrictions on meds that are hurting millions of pain patients. & all because of illegal street drugs & others who use money & power to kick others to the curb. How do we get this turned back around?