A nurse who alleges she was fired from an Iowa hospital after reporting questionable patient deaths, fraudulent billing, and the manipulation of patient-outcome statistics is now suing the hospital for retaliation.
Cynthia Tener is suing MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center, Mercy Health Services-Iowa Corp. and Trinity Health Corp. in federal court for alleged retaliation in violation of public policy and the federal False Claims Act.
When asked about the lawsuit, MercyOne provided a written statement that said, “MercyOne stands by our cardiac services program, and our commitment to safe, quality care is steadfast. We are dedicated to the fair and valued treatment of our colleagues, physicians and providers as this is central to our values at MercyOne. As this is now an active legal matter, we are unable to provide further comment.”
The physician at the center of lawsuit, Dr. Giovanni Ciuffo, said he was unaware of the lawsuit and could not comment on the matter until he looked into it. The Iowa Board of Medicine has no record of any public disciplinary action against Ciuffo.
Tener is a registered nurse who was employed by MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center as the director of the cardiovascular service line until she was fired last fall. As part of her job, she provided supervision and coaching for the cardiovascular nurses and clinic leaders as part of her job.
In her lawsuit, she alleges that in November 2020, she requested a meeting with Ciuffo, a cardiothoracic surgeon,...
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