Former Cape Cod Hospital cardiovascular medical director Richard Zelman, MD, is suing the Barnstable, Mass.-based hospital and CEO Michael Lauf for alleged whistleblower retaliation and defamation, The Boston Globe reported Dec. 8.
Mr. Lauf allegedly prioritized profit over patients when he tried to limit the use of a medical device to patients whose insurance had higher reimbursement rates, the report said. Dr. Zelman also alleged Mr. Lauf and others retaliated against him for reporting what he considered "grievously dangerous care" by the hospital's cardiac surgeons.
Dr. Zelman, an interventional cardiologist, helped found the Cape Cod Hospital's Heart and Vascular Institute and became its medical director in 2018, the report said. He was the health system's highest earner in 2020, out-earning the CEO with a $1.78 million compensation package. He has practiced at the hospital since 1990.
He alleges in the lawsuit that in 2019, Mr. Lauf limited the use of a device that filters out stroke-causing debris during certain procedures to patients whose insurance had higher reimbursement rates, the report said. The hospital eventually reversed that decision, allowing the device to be used in all high-risk patients.
Hospital executives allegedly retaliated against Dr. Zelman by investigating his performance and stripping him of oversight duties, the report said.
He sounded the alarm again in 2021, raising concerns to Mr. Lauf and other officials about what he believed were several...
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