Credentialing & Privileging | 02.04.20
Doctor Wins $4.75 Million in Defamation Suit Against Hospital
by NAMSS Staff
Medscape (01/28/20) Gallegos, Alicia
Rebecca Denman, an obstetrician/gynecologist accused of being under the influence on the job, has won $4.75 million in a lawsuit against St. Vincent Carmel Hospital and St. Vincent Carmel Medical Group. Denman won the damages after a four-day trial in Indiana's Commercial Court. She filed suit after the hospital and medical group took actions against her based on a nurse practitioner's allegation that Denman's breath smelled like alcohol while on duty in December 2017. Denman said she was not informed on that night about concerns over her sobriety, and she was not tested for alcohol at that time. According to Denman, the claims were unsubstantiated, and administrators did not conduct a peer-review investigation as they should have been obligated to do. She said the false allegation contributed to emotional distress as well as lost compensation and damages to her professional reputation. The hospital said in a statement that it was disappointed with the verdict and was exploring its next options.
Read the full article from Medscape.