Doctors study for years and work hard to build a solid reputation as a quality care provider. Therefore, it may be unlikely that an individual doctor would voluntarily make allegations that a hospital would allow policies to remain in place that could lead to a medical malpractice lawsuit without a valid reason. While one particular doctor who has done so is not located in Pennsylvania, the story may be of interest to patients here.
This former chief anesthesiologist, who stated he was forced into a resignation, recently filed a lawsuit against his former employer and has alleged that the medical facility engaged in and allowed practices that could prove detrimental to the health of certain patients. The lawsuit alleges that the hospital installed video recording devices within operating rooms that not only violated patients' privacy but could also endanger the well-being of said patients in the process. Along with this allegation, the doctor highlighted other decisions that he stated jeopardized the well-being of patients.
Some of the concerns the doctor listed involved the access to vital medications used for sedation and pain relief. These medications were purportedly kept in locked cabinets even during surgical procedures. He also claimed that the medical facility was severely understaffed, especially during the third shift, and that nursing providers were denied adequate pay for hours worked, which compounded the issue. He also stated that too much time would elapse before an emergency operation would be attempted. Finally, the former employee alleged that vital anesthesia gases were interchanged with no warning to doctors, which could purportedly pose a threat to the well-being of some patients.
The hospital denied all of the doctor's allegations and stated that the operating rooms were not subjected to video recordings. However, there are lawsuits filed by former patients whose images were recorded during an earlier attempt by hospital officials to determine why certain medications were unaccounted for after some surgical procedures. Regardless of the outcome of this particular lawsuit, patients and providers in Pennsylvania also have the right to file a medical malpractice lawsuit whenever they or a loved one has suffered harm as a result of the decisions or actions of a medical facility or other medical care provider.