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(USGovernment-News.Com, August 08, 2012 ) Tampa, Florida -- The attorneys at Morgan and Morgan are alerting cardiac patients to a breaking news story from the New York Times which reports that Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) withheld evidence revealing that some cardiologists at several of its Florida hospitals could not justify many of the cardiac catheterization and stent procedures they were performing. According to the article, the hospital giant investigated a number of cases in which unnecessary cardiac work was performed in its facilities, but did not alert patients or medical authorities to these findings. The article claims that HCA looked to these procedures to continue profit growth at its hospitals, calling its cardiology practice a “lucrative business” which contributed greatly to the company’s bottom line in recent years. For more information on the story, please visit http://www.unnecessarystentlawyers.com/ today.
After reviewing thousands of pages and speaking to doctors employed by the company, The New York Times reported that the problem was not isolated to one or two cardiologists. Internal reports revealed that some doctors made misleading statements in medical records to have it appear as if the cardiac catheterization and stent procedures they were performing were necessary, the article claims. In one instance, a nurse who worked at Lawnwood Regional Medical Center said that he saw no artery blockages in a patient who received a stent at the facility and reported his concerns to hospital officials. Shortly thereafter, he was informed that his contract would not be renewed, with an internal memo revealing that he had been retaliated against, the article states. An outside heart specialist reportedly found problems with 13 of the 17 cases handled by the doctor in question, including unsubstantiated coronary catheterizations. According to the New York Times, similar problems were uncovered in Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point and Cedars Medical Center, which is no longer owned by HCA.
In general, a cardiac patient should not undergo cardiac catheterization or stenting for arteries which are less than 70% blocked. These procedures pose serious risks, and therefore, should not be used as a first-line treatment in patients with stable coronary artery disease. In recent years, doctors have looked to drugs to treat blockages and have been less quick to implant stents, which can pose a risk of blood clots and may require prolonged use of blood thinners.
“When a doctor performs a stent procedure without proper justification for doing so, an otherwise healthy patient is being put at risk for serious complications,” said Michael Goetz of Morgan and Morgan. “The hospital is running up millions in medical bills from these procedures and putting profits ahead of patient safety.”
Morgan and Morgan is fully investigating the claims made against HCA hospitals in Florida and plans on taking prompt legal action on behalf of patients who were unnecessarily exposed to the risks of these procedures. The firm is renowned for its efforts in protecting the people, not the powerful, and has recovered millions on behalf of injured patients. For more information, please visit http://www.unnecessarystentlawyers.com/. On the site, the attorneys at Morgan and Morgan are currently offering a free, no obligation case review form to any patient who received a cardiac catheterization or stent procedure.
About Morgan & Morgan
Morgan & Morgan is one of the largest plaintiff’s law firms in the country with multiple office locations throughout Florida. The firm handles complex litigation involving defective medical devices and drugs, class actions, false claims act or qui tams, personal injury cases, and medical malpractice cases .
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