A plastic surgeon who amassed more than 844,000 followers and 14.6 million likes on TikTok has has lost her medical license in Ohio.
Katharine Roxanne Grawe, who went by ROXY Plastic Surgery on social media, was suspended by the State Medical Board back in November 2022, due to what the board saw as “clear and convincing evidence” that Dr. Grawe violated sections of the Ohio Revised Code, stating that “Dr. Grawe’s continued practice presents a danger of immediate and serious harm to the public.”
Now, The Ohio Medical Board has permanently revoked Dr. Katharine Grawe’s license following surgery complications for three patients that required further medical attention.
Timeline of Events
October 9, 2018
Over 4 years ago, the Board sent a letter to Dr. Grawe to caution her against the need to maintain patient privacy when sharing photos and videos on social media.
November 11, 2018
Dr. Grawe responded by informing the board that the concerns had been remediated by instituting an updated patient consent form.
September 28, 2021
A second letter was sent to Dr. Grawe by the board mentioning multi-faceted issues with patient care, including the “lack of informed consent, ethical concerns related to privacy and social media, and avoidable complications that required surgical revision.” The board strongly recommended that Dr. Grawe take remedial education courses related to the complications of plastic surgery and professionalism/ethics, requesting that Dr. Grawe provide the Board with certificates of completion and summaries about how it would apply to Grawe’s future practice.
December 20, 2021
Dr. Grawe provided the Board with information documenting the completion of remedial education in “Ethical Social Media” and “Finesse in Mastopexy and Augmentation Mastopexy.”
May 2020 – March 2022
Dr. Grawe provided care and treatment in the routine course of her practice at Roxy Plastic Surgery to three patients who were inappropriately treated, failed to be treated appropriately, or failed to be appropriately documented as patients.
October 14, 2022
Dr. Grawe continued to produce videos and live broadcast medical procedures of some patients through October 14, 2022. The productions included pre-operative photos, pre-operative interviews with patients about their bodies, live-streaming their procedures, post-operative still images of patients taken in the operating room, and the cost of the procedure. Some videos and live streams also included Dr. Grawe answering viewers’ questions while the surgical procedure was actively ongoing.
The Board provided several examples of Dr. Grawe’s alleged problematic treatments and care of the three patients from 2020-2022.
According to the Board, Patient 1 suffered a perforated small bowel and necrotizing soft tissue infection after Dr. Grawe was looking into the camera while performing liposuction (which requires visual awareness to avoid injury) and discharged the patient without necessary instructions regarding lidocaine toxicity. Patient 1 required “a prolonged stay with multiple debridements, open abdomen and skin grafting.”
Patient 2 went to Dr. Grave for liposuction, an umbilical hernia repair, and more. Once again, the patient was discharged without written discharge instructions with info about lidocaine toxicity. Patient 2 had to call 911 due to severe abdominal pain. The Board states that the patient was admitted to the hospital with rhabdomyolysis, which is a breakdown of muscle tissue that releases a damaging protein into the blood. It can be fatal or result in permeant disability.
After an exploratory laparotomy, Patient 2 was also found to have six enterotomies (surgical incisions) and multiple serial tears. A small bowel resection, two repairs of the small bowel, and a partial omentectomy were required for Patient 2.
The Board states that Patient 3 suffered a bleeding breast, nausea, tachycardia, and an infection that required both breast implants to be removed, as well as a removal of a mesh bra and the debridement of both breasts.
Dr. Grave had the opportunity to argue her case at a hearing before the Board made the final decision that the suspension would be permanent. According to the original suspension documents from the Board, an “individual subject to a permanent action taken by the board is forever thereafter ineligible to hold a license or certificate to practice and the board shall not accept an application for reinstatement of the license or certificate or for issuance of a new license or certificate”.
At Wednesday’s hearing, Dr. Grave opened the meeting with the board by asking for leniency. “I ask you from the bottom of my heart to please consider my thoughts with an open mind. This has humbled me more than you can know,” she said, according to CBS Austin. “I am willing to change my social media practices, and I will never livestream a surgery again.”
Ultimately, the board was unmoved by her speech, voting to permanently revoke her medical license.
Dr. Roxy’s TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube are all private now.
You can read the entire letter from the State Medical Board of Ohio back in 2022 by clicking right here.