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Dr. Brent Pratley, Workers' Compensation Orthopedic Surgeon, Died On November 10th 2017 After A Long Illness
By Jorge Alexandria - November 21, 2017

Notorious California workers’ compensation orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Brent McGee Pratley, 82, passed away on November 10, 2017 in Orem, Utah following a long, undisclosed illness.  Dr. Pratley is survived by seven offspring, sixteen grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Dr. Pratley and his twin brother, Bruce, were born on September 29, 1935 in Bakersfield, California to Henry Hart and Gladys Cooper Pratley. Following the deaths of his parents, Dr. Pratley was raised by his maternal grandparents, Walter and Selma Cooper. He graduated from Herbert Hoover High School (Glendale, California) in 1953 and from Brigham Young University in 1962 with a B.S. in geology and four seasons on the BYU baseball team.

He served an LDS (Latter Day Saints) mission in West Germany from 1957-60. In 1966 he received his M.D. degree from the California College of Medicine (now UC Irvine). Brent interned at LDS Hospital. While working at the BYU Health Center in 1968, he met his wife, Sue Fraughton, and they remained married for 28 years and had seven children.

Dr. Pratley’s professional achievements, prior to becoming a California applicant workers’ compensation physician, included service as a Navy physician on Midway Island from 1969-70 where he developed a hobby of building model ships, a second residency in orthopedic surgery in Los Angeles from 1974-78, and several years as a part-time team surgeon for the Brigham Young University football program through 1985. In June 1985, he was forced to resign from the BYU football program when accused of prescribing, some allege, indiscriminately an excessively addictive medication to Cougar players cut off from their former supply at school. The Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing Board charged Pratly with illegally prescribing the painkiller Percodan to six players over a six-year period beginning in 1980.

In fact, the complaint alleged that after the Cougars’ victory at UCLA in 1983, Pratley “boarded the airplane for the return flight, congratulated the team for their performance and threw a handful of Percodan indiscriminately across the plane for anyone to use who was so inclined.”  It was furthered alleged that Pratley prescribed the amphetamine Dexedrine to BYU’s star receiver when there was no medical condition warranting it.

After meeting with Utah’s attorney general’s office, Dr. Pratley pled guilty to one misdemeanor count of failure to maintain proper medical records. He was given community service. He was also allowed to maintain his medical license with the stipulation that he was not to prescribe Schedule II drugs outside a hospital setting for one year. Plus, he was to undergo additional medical training. 

Dr. Pratley remained a Cougar fan to the very end.  At his memorial service, his family requested that in lieu of flowers that donations be made to the Cougar Club’s General Scholarship fund.

Eventually, Pratley moved his medical occupational medicine practice to California, lent his services to several applicant-oriented medical clinics in Southern California and became an advocate for injured workers specializing in reconstructive arthroscopic surgery of the upper and lower extremities. He also became a Qualified Medical Examiner (QME) lending his expertise that included impairment ratings and report preparation based on the 5th edition, AMA guidelines.

His QME certification was (License No. C 30241) revoked on June 9, 2009 by California’s Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) and he became ineligible for future QME reappointment. No details were available as to why the DIR took this action. 

Dr. Pratley displayed great perseverance and determination when he decided to continue to examine injured workers despite his illness throughout two weeks before he succumbed. Health Medical Management, in Pomona, California, is in the process of transferring his patients to Dr. James Fait and Oscar Rodriguez.

A public open house gathering took place on Thursday, November 16, 2017 which was followed by a memorial service at the LDS chapel on 1260 South 400 West in Orem. Condolences may be offered to the family online at WalkerSanderson.com.

Jorge Alexandría is a former U.S. Government official (Labor Dept.) and an Army veteran who received his B.A. in Political Science from Cal State Los Angeles. He also graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a Master’s Degree in Public Administration.  He has more than 20 years of experience in claims handling, supervision, and risk management.

He can be reached at Riskletter@mail.com. The views and knowledge expressed in this article are Jorge Alexandría’s alone.




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