King County doctor files to have medical suspension lifted

KENT, Wash. - A King County doctor who had her license summarily suspended by the Washington Medical Commission (WMC) has met the deadline to potentially have that suspension lifted.

The WMC said Dr. Kristine Brecht requested a show-cause hearing last week. A show-cause hearing is held when a party wants to justify or explain why the court should or should not grant a motion, and in Brecht's case, that motion would be the suspension lifted. 

The Burien-based doctor had her license suspended following allegations that she violated an agreement that placed restrictions on her ability to practice.

Brecht is licensed in family medicine and does not have a license for plastic surgery.

Since our first report, former patient Stephanie Kodis-Fisher reached out to FOX 13 to share what happened to her.

Kodis-Fisher said Brecht performed an arm lift and tummy tuck on her in one operation in 2020.

"I was appalled and embarrassed for myself and worried for anyone else who may have gone after me," said Kodis-Fisher.

She noticed red flags when she said Brecht told her to take a powerful combination of drugs on the day of her surgery.

"She told me to take Ambien and Oxycodone and Arnica," said Kodis-Fisher.

"I remember waking up partially through the surgery and I remember them saying ‘here, take another pill,’" said Kodis-Fisher.

Last July, Brecht agreed to significant restrictions on her practice, including no longer performing surgeries requiring anesthesia.
The Washington Medical Commission says they summarily suspended Brecht after she violated this agreement earlier this spring on at least 10 occasions.

"In the field of cosmetic surgery, one of the tricky things is a lot of it is done in small clinics," said Dr. Hakim Said, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Seattle. 

He said cosmetic surgeries can be a gray area in our country. 

"Seattle is not the worst place for this, but in other places where it's well regulated, like in Canada, this problem doesn't happen," said Dr. Said.

He urges anyone considering cosmetic surgery to research doctors on the American Board of Medical Specialties site.

"Certification Matters is the website that will tell you if the provider you're considering is actually trained and certified to do the surgery that you're considering," said Dr. Said.

Kodis-Fisher says she did get a referral for Dr. Brecht, but wishes she had dug a little deeper into her background.

"Don't let doctors wow you with their paperwork and their websites and their words," said Kodis-Fisher.

Though it's been nearly three years since her operation with Brecht, she says she is still in pain and her arms have not fully recovered. She also has physical scars on her arms. 

"I don't go out in public with short sleeves anymore, my students ask me what's wrong with my arms constantly and it's just embarrassing," said Kodis-Fisher.

While Brecht hasn't lost her license, the Washington Medical Commission says "…at this juncture, Dr. Brecht is legally barred from doing ANY type of medical procedure regardless of what type of sedation is used."

The Washington Medical Commission advises anyone to file a complaint if they experience a negative outcome due to a breach of UDA standards.

Meanwhile, Brecht is still actively posting on her Facebook page, offering consultations to explain cosmetic procedures that can be done while awake.

FOX 13 reached out to Dr. Brecht multiple times since her last suspension order. She told us she would get back to us with what she considers the truth, but has yet to respond to our recent request.

Her show-cause hearing is scheduled for Oct. 20.