Multiple physicians accused eye surgery center chain LasikPlus of pressuring them to boost surgical volumes and approve patients for surgery who weren't good candidates, according to lawsuits filed against the company over the past three years and interviews with The Wall Street Journal.
Craig Joffe, CEO of LasikPlus, denied the company has any involvement in patient selection or volume.
"All clinical decisions are made by the independent physicians, who are in 100 percent control of that patient," he told The Wall Street Journal.
Sanjay Goel, MD, spent 20 years with the chain and served on its medical advisory board before departing in 2019 and filing a lawsuit against LasikPlus. He alleged the company pressured him to perform up to 100 procedures per day, and four other surgeons claimed the company similarly pressured them to join the "100 Eye Club," according to The Wall Street Journal.
Dr. Goel was among the 20 percent of surgeons who left the chain in 2019. His lawsuit has since been settled.
More than 12 current and former LasikPlus surgeons told The Wall Street Journal about similar experiences to Dr. Goel, including Eric Donnenfeld, MD, who runs a clinic for a chain acquired by LasikPlus' parent company, LCA-Vision. He is trying to exit the company, and in the meantime he is concerned about LasikPlus' preference for patients to undergo surgery on the day they come in or within the same week.
"I am concerned that LASIK, which is an extraordinary procedure, is being tarnished by a company that in my opinion is more interested in profits than patient care," Dr. Donnenfeld said.
Mr. Joffe said in the past, memos were sent to clinics pointing out sites with below average candidacy rates and touting the practices of more aggressive surgeons. He said the company no longer distributes these measures.