More than 280 patients are suing Saint Joseph London (Ky.) hospital and associated agencies, claiming cardiologists "dramatically misrepresented" patients' heart problems and provided unnecessary heart procedures to drive profits, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.
The lawsuit filed last week joins more than 30 complaints Louisville attorney Hans G. Poppe has already filed during the past year, The Courier-Journal noted.
According to the patient lawsuits, Saint Joseph London doctors implanted unwarranted pacemakers and stents, conducted unnecessary cardiac catherizations, and even performed open-heart surgery on patients who didn't need it.
And even though doctors knew patients did not meet American Medical Association requirements to perform certain heart procedures, they still did them to get benefits and bonuses from the hospital, the suits claim, the Courier-Journal noted.
Saint Joseph London and the other defendants have denied wrongdoing. The hospital said in a statement it will thoroughly review the complaint but could not discuss further due to the pending lawsuits, the Herald-Leader noted.
These suits come on the heels of federal allegations that Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) aggressively performed cardiac services for higher reimbursements.
For more:
- read the Herald-Leader article
- here's the Courier-Journal article