Radiology Clinical Director at Large Twin Cities Hospital
Jan 01, 2015OUTCOME: Hospital and Clinic agreed to not only stop the Peer Review process with no adverse action or report to NPDB, but agreed to substantial severance terms which allowed physician to resign and resume her successful career elsewhere.
Problem: The client received serious complaints regarding alleged improper patient care and management issues. The peer review process was initiated, which appeared to be headed to termination of privi ... leges/employment and report to National Database, with serious licensure ramifications. The client was on involuntary unpaid leave as the process proceeded. Approach: Investigated basis for complaints in great detail and discovered that most emanated from a younger subordinate male physician who wanted to assume the Director role, and that the Peer Review Committee members had bypassed numerous procedural safeguards and appeared, also, to indulge bias, whether on age, religion (client was only Jewish physician in system), or gender (male physicians had been treated far more favorably in similar circumstances). Our client had previously complained about behavior of subordinate physician, describing it as harassment and age/gender motivated, and no corrective action was taken. Younger male subordinate also appeared to have improper role in Peer Review process. We began to assert both discrimination and retaliations claims, as well as malice and breach of contract in Peer Review, and Hospital and Clinic promptly agreed to engage in mediation.
