This was in Jacksonville, but at a different hospital than where I was taken.
Florida hospital ignored years of complaints about surgeon, patients and families allege
An orthopedic surgeon in Florida caused “hundreds of devastating injuries” while his hospital ignored complaints from patients for years after he started displaying signs of a progressive neurological disorder, according to court documents.Between 2016 and 2020, patients noticed Dr. Richard David Heekin slurring his words and having “difficulty with balance, inability to concentrate, angry outbursts, erratic behavior, gait disturbances and impaired judgment and mood,” according to court documents.
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The resulting complications were significant, with many patients requiring revision surgeries, and at least one complication cost a patient her life, according to the civil complaints.
All I’m having to deal with is a doctor I’ve never met billing me for something that he won’t specify.
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Doctors are generally not hospital employees but independent specialists. Sometimes they or their group have a contract with a hospital and said contract could have conditions regarding competence. But generally they are granted privileges to practice at
a hospital by a committee……heavily filled with other MD’s. And MD’s as a group almost NEVER ‘rock the boat’ regarding scrutinizing the practices and abilities of other doctors. Because once that door is opened they have opened themselves up to being second guessed and NONE of them want that. So incompetence is ignored and if necessary covered up. So often times it’s the hospital who COULDN’T get rid of the shitty doctor left holding the bag when it comes to damages. Because while doctors have deep pockets they don’t compare to the deepness of the hospitals pockets. And malpractice lawyers don’t go for the responsible party. They go after the RICHEST party when it comes to lawsuits.
Can’t argue with any of that. And in this case, the doctor was one of those outside practice types. But according to the filing, the hospital had been told about the guy, and they should have noticed all the corrective surgeries his work caused. So yeah, if the filing is correct, I’d be going after the hospital, too.
As it happens, my surgeon actually is an UF Health employee, as are, apparently, most of the doctors at that hospital.