Has your VA doctor been accused of medical malpractice?

Many veterans here in Maryland utilize U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers for their health care. For service and sacrifices as former members of the United States Armed Forces, they deserve the best care available. Sadly, a recent report indicates that the VA may knowingly hire doctors, including surgeons, who have been accused, and in some cases found guilty, of medical malpractice in the past.

For instance, one neurosurgeon at a VA hospital in another state has been accused more than 12 times of malpractice (and entered into many settlements of those claims) in two different states. Some of the patients involved in those claims ended up dead, paralyzed or maimed, and they, or their families, say it was due to his mistakes. Even with such a track record, the VA hired him to provide medical aid to the country’s veterans.

Unfortunately, reports indicate that he has already caused harm to some of his patients at an Iowa VA hospital. A VA hospital in Oklahoma hired a psychiatrist known for sexual misconduct with patients. A Louisiana VA clinic hired a psychiatrist, knowing that he has felony convictions on his record. That particular psychiatrist was later fired because the clinic believed he was a threat to other people.

Are any of the doctors at VA hospitals and clinics here in Maryland accused of medical malpractice now or in the past? No one is going to tell a patient when he or she goes in to see a doctor or to undergo surgery. If a veteran ended up suffering harm at the hands of a VA medical practitioner, it may be beneficial to discuss the situation with an attorney to determine whether legal action would be appropriate.

Source: USA Today, “USA TODAY Investigation: VA knowingly hires doctors with past malpractice claims, discipline for poor care“, Donovan Slack, Dec. 3, 2017