Former cardiology chief sues Michigan hospital

Samir Elian, MD, former chief of cardiology at Flint, Mich.-based Hurley Medical Center, has sued the hospital for alleged retaliation after he raised concerns about insufficient care practices and an inadequate quality assurance program. 

In a complaint filed in Michigan federal court, Dr. Elian said one patient died in Hurley’s ICU while awaiting transfer for emergency heart surgery and another died after going into cardiac arrest because the unit had only one working mobile cardiac monitor, according to a Sept. 8 report from MLive. 

Dr. Elian is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, reinstatement and back pay for the “substantial economic injury, loss of goodwill, harm to his business reputation, loss of esteem and standing in the relevant hospital community, and loss of business opportunities” associated with what he called the hospital’s retaliation, the report said. 

Laura Jasso, spokesperson for Hurley Medical Center, told Becker’s that “Dr. Elian’s lawsuit is a collection of false allegations that demonstrate a superficial understanding of cardiac services rather than any semblance of truth. Hurley will aggressively defend his baseless claims and seek sanctions against him for having filed them.” 

Read the full MLive report here.

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