A judge has ruled that a lawsuit against Shreveport, La.-based Willis-Knighton Health System, in which the system is accused of lax privileging of a neurosurgeon, can move forward, according to a Shreveport Times news report.
Five former patients filed a lawsuit against Willis-Knighton late last year, accusing the health system of failing to properly check the credentials of neurosurgeon Ravish Patwardhan, MD, before giving him privileges to perform surgery at the hospitals. The patients also accuse the health system of failing to heed nurses' warnings of Dr. Patwardhan's tendency to rush through surgeries.
Although Dr. Patwardhan was not named a defendant in the lawsuit, he has agreed with the Louisiana Board of Medical Examiners to stop performing surgeries while the board conducts an investigation into the allegations.
When the patients initially filed the lawsuit, Willis-Knighton attorneys moved to have the case thrown out, saying the patients' accusations would make the lawsuit fall under Louisiana's Medical Malpractice Act. Judge Leon Emanuel III later ruled against their motion and allowed the lawsuit to proceed. An attorney representing Willis-Knighton said the health system will ask an appellate court to review Judge Emanuel's ruling.
Read the news report about the lawsuit against Willis-Knighton Health System.
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Five former patients filed a lawsuit against Willis-Knighton late last year, accusing the health system of failing to properly check the credentials of neurosurgeon Ravish Patwardhan, MD, before giving him privileges to perform surgery at the hospitals. The patients also accuse the health system of failing to heed nurses' warnings of Dr. Patwardhan's tendency to rush through surgeries.
Although Dr. Patwardhan was not named a defendant in the lawsuit, he has agreed with the Louisiana Board of Medical Examiners to stop performing surgeries while the board conducts an investigation into the allegations.
When the patients initially filed the lawsuit, Willis-Knighton attorneys moved to have the case thrown out, saying the patients' accusations would make the lawsuit fall under Louisiana's Medical Malpractice Act. Judge Leon Emanuel III later ruled against their motion and allowed the lawsuit to proceed. An attorney representing Willis-Knighton said the health system will ask an appellate court to review Judge Emanuel's ruling.
Read the news report about the lawsuit against Willis-Knighton Health System.
Related Articles on Quality:
Federal Prevention Council Releases National Prevention Strategy
Somnia Blog: Hospitals Struggle With Defining Patient Experience
Oklahoma's Memorial Hospital Board Members Overturn Physician's Suspension for Patient Safety Violations