Former Tennessee Heart physician relinquishes license

A former physician with Tennessee Heart has surrendered his medical license following findings of ethical violations and false statements, according to a consent order issued by the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners.

Christopher Adams, MD, voluntarily surrendered his Tennessee medical license and agreed to pay a $10,000 civil penalty within one year, according to the board’s order.

Adams was employed by Tennessee Heart at Cookeville Regional Medical Center from December 2018 to December 2023.

During that time, he reportedly worked long hours and handled a high patient volume, performing nearly 1,000 procedures and seeing approximately 150 to 175 patients per week during the course of his employment.

In July 2023, Adams reported that two patients died while under his care during a two-day period and that he assisted another physician whose patient also died during that time. According to the consent order, those deaths led to quality-of-care concerns and a clinical review of his cases by Cookeville Regional Medical Center.

Adams was scheduled for reappointment on Feb. 1, 2024. However, on or about July 31, 2023, he requested a medical leave of absence from CRMC.

According to the consent order, Adams created false documentation stating that he had been diagnosed with penile cancer and was receiving treatment from physicians at Cleveland Clinic and Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Adams later admitted that he had not been diagnosed with penile cancer.

While on medical leave, Adams also reported that he was serving as a “visiting physician” at Cleveland Clinic performing complex cardiology procedures under supervision. The consent order states that Adams provided several letters purportedly from physician leaders at Cleveland Clinic supporting that claim.

Adams later admitted he altered a prior recommendation letter from a physician at Cleveland Clinic to falsely indicate that he was training there.

As a result of these events, Cookeville Regional Medical Center terminated his employment on Dec. 12, 2023.

Adams later moved to Lexington, Kentucky, where he was hired by Baptist Health Lexington in August 2024.

Because he had not been involved in clinical practice since 2023, the hospital developed a plan to reintroduce him to clinical practice that required proctoring and supervision before he could perform procedures independently.

In January 2025, Adams applied to renew his Kentucky medical license.

In that application, Adams stated that his employment with Cookeville Regional ended after what he described as becoming a “workaholic with an unhealthy work/life balance that spiraled out of control, including an extramarital affair.”

He also wrote:

“In turn, I engaged in additional unethical conduct in an attempt to dig myself out of a hole that I had already dug. For example, I told the hospital I was diagnosed with cancer, thinking that would dispel rumors of the affair. I also submitted false letters of recommendation in further effort to project myself in a positive light.”

In February 2025, a colleague at Baptist Health Lexington reported that Adams had presented him with approximately 25 forms listing procedures that were to have been proctored and asked him to sign them as if he had supervised those procedures. The forms were reportedly predated to October 2024.

Hospital administrators also learned that Adams was preparing to perform a cardiac catheterization procedure without a required proctor present. According to the report, Adams said he had arranged for a physician to proctor the procedure, but administrators later determined that no proctor had been scheduled.

The hospital subsequently reviewed Adams’ application for appointment and discovered that several professional references listed had not submitted the recommendations attributed to them.

Through his attorney, Adams stated that the hospital had changed his back-to-work plan multiple times. He denied asking another physician to sign off on procedures he did not witness and denied submitting fraudulent letters during his initial application.

On March 1, 2025, the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure received a report that Adams had been placed under precautionary suspension on Feb. 7 for performing procedures without the required proctors and for failing to submit proctoring reports.

On Feb. 11, Adams surrendered his clinical privileges and resigned before the hospital’s Medical Executive Committee was scheduled to review the suspension and investigate the alleged misconduct further.

On July 31, 2025, Adams voluntarily surrendered his Kentucky medical license in lieu of revocation.

On Aug. 14, 2025, the Virginia Department of Health Professions suspended his license based on the Kentucky board’s action.

Court records indicate that one malpractice lawsuit has been filed against Adams in Putnam County. That case remains pending.

Highlands Insider will continue following developments in this case.

Editor’s Note:

Information in this report is drawn from public records, including consent orders, disciplinary filings and licensing board records from Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia.  Cookeville Regional Medical Center declined to comment on personnel matters