(Specialist Alleges Hoag Put Profits Over Patient Safety at Marina Del Rey "Surgery Mill")
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Aug. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A whistleblower lawsuit filed by an internationally renowned orthopedic spine surgeon alleging that hospital giant Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian put profits over patient care at one of its surgery centers is headed for arbitration. Hooman Melamed, M.D. claims that Hoag Orthopedic Institute (HOI) (formerly DISC Surgery Center) in Marina Del Rey, California compromised patient care by increasing its volume of aggressive, unnecessary spine surgeries that resulted in an uptick in revision procedures to correct the problems.
In addition, he alleges that HOI instituted several cost-cutting measures including hiring less experienced (and lower wage) surgical staff and routinely scheduling aggressive, complex surgeries in the late afternoon and early evening hours — a practice Melamed says set the stage for mistakes due to staff exhaustion. Also, HOI allowed one practitioner to perform two surgeries simultaneously in 2 separate operating rooms, which led to a serious potential life-threatening injury.
Melamed alleges to have witnessed numerous instances in which the practice was being transformed into a "surgery mill":
To increase volume, one of his colleagues performed surgery on 2 patients simultaneously, which led to a serious potential life-threatening injury
One surgeon regularly performed unnecessary surgeries and/or more...
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