
St. Joseph Medical Center in Baltimore and a former cardiologist at the hospital are facing 101 complaints from patients who may have implanted with un-necessary coronary stents.
In January, the hospital notified 369 patients that they may not have needed the stent procedures they underwent. That prompted federal officials to investigate the Towson, Md. hospital for healthcare fraud, with now-former St. Joseph’s cardiologist Dr. Mark Midei the only doctor implicated.
The hospital and Midei were slapped with a class-action lawsuit over the case two weeks later. Now a Towson attorney has filed 101 complaints against the two alleging conspiracy, negligence and fraud, according to the Baltimore Sun.
Settlement talks between the hospital and medical malpractice attorney Jay Miller broke down and the filings, a requirement for court action, were the next step, the newspaper reported.
More doctors and hospitals could also be targeted for investigations, according to the Sun. St. Joseph, Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore and Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park, Md., all have "questionably high rates" of stent implant procedures among Maryland hospitals, according to the newspaper.
“I think [the problem is] nationwide,” Miller told the Sun. He is also looking into claims against Union Memorial.
No criminal charges have been filed against Midei, but a U.S. Senate committee is looking into whether Medicare fraud was committed, the paper reported. Midei, who was dismissed from the hospital the summer before it notified his patients of the allegedly unnecessary operations, denies any wrongdoing.