Physicians allege cost-cutting caused patient deaths

Last month, two former Detroit Medical Center (DMC) cardiologists filed a lawsuit against their previous employer and its parent company, Tenet Healthcare, which is based in Dallas. The physicians, Amir Kaki, MD, and Mahir Elder, MD, were fired from DMC in October 2018 for conduct violations; however, according to the physicians, their termination occurred because they brought forth concerns about care quality and patient safety. They are two of four cardiologists who are suing the health system and allege they were terminated after voicing concerns about patient safety and quality of care.

In this lawsuit, Kaki and Elder allege that multiple patients at DMC have died as a result of both physician incompetence and cost-cutting maneuvers. The two offer as example a patient who died in 2018. Prior to that patient’s admission, the administration had elected to remove a blood-testing lab from the cardiac catheterization unit in an effort to save money. The patient ultimately died when it took hours for the cardiac team to receive the report detailing his high blood potassium levels. Regarding physician incompetence, Kaki and Elder offer as example a patient who bled to death in 2015 after a team of physicians improperly treated the patient’s pulmonary embolism.

In a statement to the Detroit Free Press, DMC asserts that the allegations are false and reiterates that the physicians were fired for conduct issues. Currently, the physicians seek reinstatement, back pay, and damages.

Source: Becker’s Hospital Review