Patients in Maryland rightfully trust their doctors to have their best interests in mind at all times. Patients expect that physicians will provide them with accurate information as well as appropriate recommendations for the best treatment for their ailments. Unfortunately, some doctors may be more motivated by wealth than by correctly treating patients, as seems to have been the issue in this recent Maryland medical malpractice case.
The Maryland Board of Physicians is standing behind a judge’s ruling that a Baltimore-area cardiologist, who worked at St. Joseph’s Medical Center, should lose his license to practice medicine. The doctor, a one-time partner of MidAtlantic Cardiovascular Associates, is accused of surgically implanting hundreds of cardiac stents in patients who did not need them.
Following the judge’s decision, the doctor approached the Board of Physicians in an attempt to overturn a court’s decision to deprive him of a medical license. The state board refused, saying it agreed with the judge’s choice to suspend the physician’s license for at least two years, based on what it felt was believable witness testimony.
The board’s written decision excoriated the doctor, stating that the alleged multiple stent surgeries “unnecessarily exposed his patients to the risk of harm” and inflated the expenses of their medical treatment. The accusations said the cardiologist implanted stents in four out of five examined cases and of lied to each of the patients about the severity of their arterial blockage.
Late last year, St. Joseph Medical Center settled a $22 million lawsuit out of court. The hospital allegedly paid MidAtlantic Cardiovascular Associates to refer cardiac patients covered by the government health programs Medicaid and Medicare to their facility for treatment.
The doctor is planning to appeal the revocation judgment to the Baltimore City Circuit Court.