Fremont, Calif.-based Washington Hospital is facing several different charges of retaliations, as former employees and physicians claim administrators manage the facility through fear and intimidation, according to an Oakland Tribune report.
Within the past year, three former staff members have filed wrongful termination lawsuits against the hospital. Ramineni Rao, MD, sued the hospital for retaliation after he was terminated for “repeatedly standing up to administrators,” who allegedly put profits before patients in OR block time.
John Romano, MD, Washington’s chief of medical staff, criticized hospital leaders in sworn testimony given on behalf of Dr. Rao. Dr. Romano said the hospital administrators manage the facility through fear and intimidation. He claimed physicians feared backlash if they voiced complaints.
The hospital also faces other charges of retaliation, such as a 2009 lawsuit filed by a physician accusing the hospital of denying him patient referrals, spreading rumors about him and preventing him from serving his term as the elected chief of staff after he appeared in a documentary film critical of the hospital.
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