There is a new focus on unnecessary medical treatment that is making headway with the public and could potentially prevent the many injuries and deaths that occur each year due to medical malpractice. The sad saga of what happened to one small town and the trust they placed in their local cardiologist is one such example.
Unnecessary Medical Treatment
Cardiology, In Particular, Under Scrutiny
The practice of cardiology, in particular, has come under scrutiny by federal regulators because the field can be a huge “money maker”; in part because the procedures are often reimbursed by both Medicare and insurance companies at higher levels than those in other areas of medicine. This has led to regulators themselves bringing more and more cases against cardiologists and hospitals in general for performing unnecessary procedures.
Falsifying Patient Records
In some instances, investigations have found that doctors are falsifying medical records, indicating that arteries are more blocked than they actually are in order to justify the procedure. In fact, last year, one hospital system paid out around $40 million in a settlement concerning billing for unnecessary coronary stents and catheterizations after doctors falsified patient records.
Making a Claim for Unnecessary Procedures
How can you tell if a cardiologist has, in fact, performed an unnecessary procedure, and how is this determined in the field itself if you feel that you have a case against the doctor? There are industry and federal guidelines describing when it is appropriate to perform certain procedures, such as the use of a stent, which should not be done unless a patient’s arteries are 70 percent blocked. If and when a malpractice claim must be brought against a doctor, suits will also sometimes name the hospital that oversees his or her operations as a defendant if the doctor’s procedures were done with the “authority and consent” of the hospital.
Widespread Unnecessary Procedures in One Small Town
One woman who had been treated by the local cardiologist for years—including having open heart surgery and mesh stents three times–turned on the TV on day to see that her doctor was being sued by former patients for performing unnecessary operations. She is now one of close to 300 former patients suing with claims that they had unnecessary procedures performed.
Allegedly, in this particular case, other doctors who raised concerns about these unnecessary procedures being performed were largely shut down by the hospital. The doctor in question and his partners reportedly received close to $5 million in Medicare payments in 2012 alone and, for the hospital, these heart procedures have always been one of the leading sources of revenue. Some doctors have now spoken up, indicating that they are willing to work with medical malpractice attorneys simply because they “just want this to stop.” Even the medical review panels have found that the cases they have reviewed thus far indicate that this particular small town cardiologist and his associates failed to comply with the appropriate standard of care.
Medical Negligence Attorneys
Medical negligence doesn’t just include a mistake made during a medical procedure or failure to diagnose, but also the intentional performance of an unnecessary medical procedure for financial gain. If you have been the victim of a doctor or hospital performing unnecessary medical treatment on you or a loved one for financial gain, our New Orleans medical malpractice attorneys are dedicated to obtaining justice. Contact us at Harrell & Nowak today for a free consultation.