Industry News | 08.05.24
Patients of Fired Anesthesiologist Sue Providence, Former Employer
By NAMSS Staff
KGW-TV 8 in Portland (07/28/24) Parfitt, Jamie; Grams, Ashley
Four patients have filed a class action lawsuit against the Providence network of hospitals in Oregon and an anesthesiology firm, accusing them of "gross negligence" after learning that hundreds of patients may have been exposed to infectious diseases by a single practitioner who worked at multiple hospitals in the Portland metro area. In July, Providence notified over 2,200 patients that they may have come in contact with hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV, linked to a practitioner from the Oregon Anesthesiology Group who violated "infection control practices." Providence urged patients to take a blood test. Oregon Anesthesiology Group, which is being sued alongside Providence, reportedly learned about the violations in June 2024. After an investigation, they fired the practitioner, who has not been publicly identified as of press time. According to the lawsuit, the practitioner treated patients at Providence Portland Medical Center and Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center between 2017 and 2023 before Providence switched anesthesiology providers in November 2023. The practitioner also worked at Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center in early 2024. The plaintiffs all live in Clackamas County. According to the lawsuit, all four underwent intravenous anesthesia administered by the anesthesiologist in question.
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