You could easily lose your life at a surgery center
“Dozens” of deaths have occurred since 2013 after “routine operations such as colonoscopies and tonsillectomies” at surgery centers across the U.S. An investigation by Kaiser Health and the USA Today Network, the first of its kind, was released on March 2, 2018. It examined autopsy records, legal filings, more than 12,000 state and Medicare inspection records and conducted interviews with “dozens of doctors, health policy experts and patients.”
Who regulates surgery centers?
According to the study, “federal law allows surgery center doctors – unlike others – to steer patients to centers they own.” While that can increase the risk to patients, it can double doctors’ profits. The study also faults Medicare for its 2015 approval of spinal operations at surgery centers. By 2017, “at least 14 patients” had died after spinal procedures at surgery centers.
In an interview with investigators, the chief of neurological and spinal care at New York University Winthrop Hospital, Dr. Nancy Epstein, said delicate operations near the spine at surgery centers, should not be tolerated. She called them “revolting.”
Surgery is always risky no matter how routine
Most procedures at surgery centers “go off without a hitch,” according to the study. But Dr. Kenneth Rothfield, a board member of the Physician-Patient Alliance for Health and Safety, criticized surgery centers that push the envelope on how much they can do. In at least 25 cases, according to the study, surgery centers operated on ailing and fragile patients who died after tonsillectomies, retinal repairs or colonoscopies.
The study found that some surgery centers overlook high risk health problems and operate on patients who should only undergo procedures at hospitals. They skimp on training or lifesaving equipment and send patients home before they are fully recovered.
Hospitals have life-saving equipment immediately available with personnel standing by who are trained to use it in emergencies. Surgery centers without them, call 911 if a patient develops a life-threatening condition. Patients rushed to hospitals in ambulances in these cases have died due to delays in treatment at surgery centers unprepared for emergencies.
More than 70 lawsuits have been filed against surgery centers
For years, Wyatt Wright has been getting justice for patients hurt by the medical profession. He is one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in America, according to the American Trial Lawyers Association. His national legal awards demonstrate his ability to win big monetary awards for his clients. Calls to the firm and evaluations are free. Wyatt Wright does not bill by the hour. Fees, agreed on in advance, are only due if a case is successfully concluded, through a settlement or in the courts.