A whistleblower alleged that three cardiothoracic surgeons delegated key aspects of surgery to 'unqualified medical residents.'
Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center, Baylor College of Medicine , and Surgical Associates of Texas PA have jointly agreed to pay $15 million to resolve claims that three heart surgeons falsely billed Medicare for cardiac procedures in which they were only partially present.
"The complete disregard for patient safety exhibited by these three doctors put patients at risk and violated Medicare regulations for their own convenience and greed," Special Agent in Charge Jason E. Meadows of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General said Federal authorities said that Joseph Coselli, MD, Joseph Lamelas, MD, and David Ott, MD"often ran two operating rooms at once and failed to attend the surgical 'timeout' — a critical moment where the entire team would pause and identify key risks to prevent surgical errors."According to the whistleblower's allegations, the surgeons often entered a second or third operation without designating a backup surgeon.
In another case in 2022, anesthesiologist Lisa Wollman, MD, alleged that five orthopedic surgeons at Massachusetts General Hospital often kept patients under anesthesia longer than medically necessary because the doctors were working in two operating rooms. According to, said she repeatedly witnessed and complained about the practice from 2010 to 2015 to no avail. She ended up leaving MGH and filing the suit.
Revenue Cardiac Surgeries Cardiac Surgery Surgery Cardiothoracic Surgery Cardio-Thoracic Surgery Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery Heart Hospitals Medicare Patient Safety Texas Acute Pain Pain Management Anesthesia Anesthetic Anesthaesia Anaesthetic Residency Residents Aortic Valve Arteries Facial
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