Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1273559
10 ASC MANAGEMENT Ophthalmologist, surgery center pay $500K to settle malpractice case By Angie Stewart O phthalmologist Milton Kahn, MD, and the surgery center where he practices settled a patient's medical malpractice lawsuit for $500,000, and the case was dismissed May 6, according to the New Jersey Law Journal. Dr. Khan performed cataract surgery on patient, Barbara Simicevic, in 2016. Five weeks aer the operation, Ms. Simicevic returned for an emergency appointment at Advanced Eye Care and Surgery Center in Westfield, N.J., said an attorney for the 70-year-old woman. Ms. Simicevic, who was experiencing tearing, blurry vision, floaters and the sensation of a foreign body in her eye, was diagnosed by Dr. Khan with corneal edema. Dr. Khan prescribed topical anti-inflammatory medications. However, Ms. Simicevic's condition worsened aer the visit, and she saw another physician who diagnosed her with endophthalmitis, a bac- terial infection. e patient filed a lawsuit against Dr. Khan and Advanced Eye Care in March 2018, alleging medical malpractice on the grounds that Dr. Khan had an obligation to perform a more thor- ough examination during her emergency visit. Dr. Khan would have discovered the infec- tion and given Ms. Simicevic the chance to start treatment sooner if he had conducted ultrasound imaging, her attorneys said. ey argued that the infection warranted immediate attention. Dr. Khan's defense countered that Ms. Simicev- ic's infection was extremely rare and would have affected the patient's vision regardless of when it was discovered. e defense said Dr. Khan acted within the standard of care for such a rare condition, and that he therefore was not at fault. e settlement was reached aer ophthalmolo- gist Kenneth Kenyon, MD, testified that timeli- ness is important in diagnosing eye infections and that a two-day delay was long. e case was settled before going to trial. n CRNA gets prison sentence, $15K fine for drug tampering in surgery centers By Angie Stewart A certified registered nurse anesthetist in Charles City, Iowa, re- ceived a 34-month federal prison sentence and $15,000 fine May 29 for tampering with fentanyl vials in a hospital's surgery and birthing centers, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reported. What you should know: 1. The CRNA, Christopher West, pleaded guilty in August 2019 to one count of tampering with a consumer product and one count of illegally acquiring a controlled substance. 2. The illegal activity occurred at a Charles City hospital from February 2018 through Sept. 7, 2018, when a visitor found Mr. West passed out in a public bathroom with drug vials in his coat pocket. 3. Mr. West later admitted to administering three different anesthetics to a young patient in part so he could access narcotics for personal use. That patient experienced complications. 4. Upon review, the hospital discovered 28 tampered vials of fentanyl and 15 tampered vials of sufentanil in its birthing and surgery centers, according to the Courier. 5. As early as December 2017, Mr. West allegedly used fentanyl in colonoscopies and cataract surgeries. He is accused of giving 1 in 4 spinal anesthesia patients narcotics that weren't sufficient for allevi- ating labor pain so that the women giving birth would also require general anesthesia. 6. During his sentencing in district court, Mr. West was ordered to pay the hospital $31,998.34 in restitution, pay more than $3,000 for prosecu- tion costs, forfeit his two Iowa nursing licenses, and surrender to the U.S. Marshal. n 10 specialists most likely to have a net worth of $5M or more By Laura Dyrda M edscape released its Physician Debt and Net Worth Report 2020, showing that orthopedics has the highest percentage of surgeons that have net worth of at least $5 million. Here is the breakdown of the top 10 specialties: 1. Orthopedics: 19 percent 2. Plastic surgery: 16 percent 3. Gastroenterology: 16 percent 4. Cardiology: 15 percent 5. Dermatology: 14 percent 6. Otolaryngology: 14 percent 7. Urology: 14 percent 8. Radiology: 13 percent 9. Ophthalmology: 13 percent 10. Anesthesiology: 12 percent n