A lawsuit filed by Desert Regional Medical Center against Desert Physicians Medical Group and several individuals is raising questions about physician training, malpractice insurance, hospital credentials and patient safety at one of the Coachella Valley's major hospitals.
Desert Regional operates six programs that train roughly 90 to 100 new doctors each year. The hospital hired Desert Physicians Medical Group, or DPMG, to help staff and operate those programs. The lawsuit accuses DPMG and its principals, Dr. Tae Kim and Dr. Gemma Kim, of conduct that Desert Regional says put patients and physicians in training at risk.
One of the most serious allegations involves two DPMG physicians identified in the lawsuit only as Dr. ET and Dr. AL. According to the lawsuit, Desert Regional requested proof in January 2024 that the doctors' malpractice insurance covered obstetrics. The hospital says it received certificates stating the physicians had family medicine with OB coverage.
Desert Regional alleges those words had been added to the documents and that the physicians did not actually have obstetrics coverage. The hospital says the insurance company confirmed that on March 21, 2024. But one of the physicians had already delivered a baby at Desert Regional on March 5.
The baby's family later filed a separate malpractice lawsuit alleging the child suffered profound neurological injuries following delays and other alleged failures during the delivery. Those allegations have not been proven.
The insurance certificates attached to Desert Regional's lawsuit also appear to show coverage ending December 31, 2023, even though the documents were submitted in January 2024. That raises questions about how the documents were reviewed and why the insurance coverage was not verified before the physician continued practicing.
The lawsuit also alleges another DPMG physician treated Desert Regional patients without hospital privileges and was given another physician's hospital badge and electronic medical record credentials.
The allegations are contained in a civil lawsuit, and the defendants have not been found liable. Their complete response was not included in the documents reviewed.
The case raises a broader question for the Coachella Valley: how could the alleged problems occur without being detected before patients were treated?
Desert Regional says the lawsuit will also address more than $1 million in public funding tied to resident salaries and state grants. The hospital and DPMG were contacted for comment but had not responded at the time of the report.
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By: NBC Palm Springs
August 19, 2026
