Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Lawsuit alleges Kaiser anesthesiologists told to skimp on anesthesia, rush patients through, save money

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2016/07/lawsuit_kaiser_anesthesiologis.html

A former Kaiser Permanente anesthesiologist has filed a $9 million lawsuit against the health organization, claiming he was fired after he repeatedly complained that cost-cutting measures were jeopardizing the safety of patients in the Portland area.

Among those measures was an August 2014 mandate from higher-ups that anesthesiologists reduce the amount of knock-out or anti-anxiety meds they give surgery patients so the patients would wake up sooner and be discharged as soon as possible, according to a lawsuit filed by Dr. Erik Franck last week in Multnomah County Circuit Court.