The doctor thought he could get away with defrauding the government, but it looks like he’s the one who has been had. An attorney for patients injured by an errant surgeon is now seeking damages from not only the doctor, but also the medical facilities that employed the physician, claiming they should be responsible for at least part of the medical malpractice claims. Scores of clients say the physician performed unnecessary spine surgeries during their treatment at West Chester and Children’s hospitals in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Allegations of misconduct reach the very top of the administrative structures at these two facilities, according to the plaintiffs. Not only was the physician incorrectly treating patients with unnecessary surgeries and injections, the hospital managers were encouraging him to do so. The two hospitals, along with medical equipment manufacturer Medtronic, have been accused of being in cahoots to defraud Medicare and Medicaid through fraudulent procedures. In fact, the lawyer claims he has witnesses who can confirm that hospital administrators allowed the doctor to continue practicing even though he was harming patients. Those administrators are said to have claimed the facility needed the money brought in by the unnecessary treatments.
The physician was employed by Children’s Hospital from 2005 to 2008. He also had operating privileges at other hospitals and served as an assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati. The man’s operating privileges were revoked from three area hospitals before West Chester decided to take action. Reports show the doctor was using a product known as BMP-2 during upper spinal surgeries, even though the injectable drug is only approved for lower-back applications.
Ultimately, the hospitals and physician may be found liable for the unnecessary surgeries that both endangered patients’ lives and cost the American public through insurance and Medicare fraud. The man is already under scrutiny for criminal activity, and more than 160 lawsuits are currently pending. The attorney in this case is fighting for his clients’ rights in court.
If you have been the victim of medical malpractice, you, too, need an aggressive representative. Do not settle for second-best. Instead, consult a qualified Ohio personal injury attorney today to find out more about your options.
Source: www.wcpo.com, “Eric Deters: Attorney suing Dr. Atiq Durrani also blames hospitals for unnecessary surgeries” Greg Noble, Jul. 26, 2013