The Regents of the University of California, the university's governing body, has agreed to pay $1.2 million to resolve allegations that anesthesia was routinely administered at University of California-Irvine by healthcare providers when a supervisory anesthesiologist was not present, according to a news release from the law offices of Louis J. Cohen, PC, which represented the whistleblower in this case.
The settlement stems from a 2008 lawsuit filed by a former UC-Irvine anesthesiologist. His complaint triggered a "multi-year" investigation by the Department of Justice, according to the release.
The complaint alleged that certified registered nurse anesthetists or residents at UC-Irvine administered anesthesia in many instances when the supervisory anesthesiologist was in another facility, which violates federal regulations.
The complaint also alleged that postoperative evaluations would routinely be provided by unsupervised or unlicensed residents, which is also a violation of federal regulations.
A comment from UC-Irvine was not provided in the release.
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The settlement stems from a 2008 lawsuit filed by a former UC-Irvine anesthesiologist. His complaint triggered a "multi-year" investigation by the Department of Justice, according to the release.
The complaint alleged that certified registered nurse anesthetists or residents at UC-Irvine administered anesthesia in many instances when the supervisory anesthesiologist was in another facility, which violates federal regulations.
The complaint also alleged that postoperative evaluations would routinely be provided by unsupervised or unlicensed residents, which is also a violation of federal regulations.
A comment from UC-Irvine was not provided in the release.
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