Richard Zelman, MD, an interventional cardiologist at Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis, Mass., has filed a lawsuit against the health system and its CEO, Michael Lauf, alleging he was fired after whistleblowing on unethical practices at the hospital, according to a Dec. 12 Medscape report.
Dr. Zelman has been with Cape Cod Hospital for more than 30 years, and he had served as medical director for the heart and vascular institute since 2018.
Dr. Zelman raised concerns about alleged poorly performed surgeries and poor ethical practices at the hospital, and he claims he was fired for speaking out.
The lawsuit alleges that Mr. Lauf "placed profit above all else, including by prioritizing revenue generation over patient safety and public health."
Dr. Zelman claimed the hospital offered him a half million-dollar contract to release a statement endorsing the quality and safety of the hospital's cardiology program after he publicly voiced concerns, the report said.
"Unfortunately, over the past five years, there has been inadequate oversight by the hospital administration and problems have occurred that in my opinion have led to serious patient consequences," Dr. Zelman told Medscape. "No amount of money was going to buy my silence."
Dr. Zelman claimed that when he raised issues with Mr. Lauf, he threatened his career and reputation and fired him. The hospital, meanwhile, refutes Dr. Zelman's claims.
"While Dr. Zelman is no longer employed by Cape Cod Hospital, he continues to hold full medical staff privileges at the hospital and performs cardiac procedures as a private practitioner. The hospital denies the claims set out in his complaint, and in particular denies any allegations of retaliation against him for raising patient safety issues or that the hospital has failed to take action, when appropriate, to continue to improve the quality of the hospital’s cardiac care and services," Cape Cod Healthcare said in a Dec. 13 statement shared with Becker's. "We value and support the many dedicated physicians, nurses and other staff members who care for our cardiology patients every day. This litigation is unfortunate and the allegations are a disservice to the hard work of these professionals. We will vigorously defend this case."