Hospital may face sanctions for allegedly ignoring complaints about surgeon

An orthopedic surgeon accused of slapping anesthetized patients on the buttocks and making crude comments about them faces possible criminal charges, and the Syracuse, N.Y. hospital that reportedly ignored staff complaints about his behavior may be sanctioned, according to Syracuse.com. The slapping and other inappropriate behavior by the surgeon went on for at least a year and St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center allegedly did nothing about it until a complaint was filed with hospital administrators in December, stated a CMS report.

One staff member told federal investigators the hospital did nothing after the staffer reported the surgeon’s behavior to operating room administrators early last year. Others said they did not report the surgeon’s behavior because they doubted anything would be done, they feared their jobs could be at risk, or they did not want to confront the surgeon. The hospital faces sanctions including a possible termination from Medicare and Medicaid programs.

Source: Syracuse Media Group