Becker's Hospital Review

52 CMO / CARE DELIVERY St. Peter's oncologist incorrectly treated patient for lung cancer for 11 years, hospital says By Erica Carbajal H elena, Mont.-based St. Peter's Health claims a former oncologist at the health system incorrectly treated a patient for lung cancer for 11 years when, at the time of the patient's death, it was determined the patient did not have the disease, the Independent Record reported Jan. 20. St. Peter's ended the employment of Tom Weiner, MD, an oncologist who worked at the health system for nearly 25 years, Nov. 17 aer learning the physician had been harm- ing patients for years, CEO Wade Johnson wrote in a letter published in the Independent Record. St. Peter's attorneys claim Dr. Weiner treated a patient, re- ferred to as Patient 1 in court documents, without perform- ing a biopsy to confirm a lung cancer diagnosis. "More troubling is that the physicians who treated Patient 1 at the outside hospital noted that there was no conclusive ev- idence in the record that Patient 1 ever had lung cancer," the documents said, according to the Independent Record. "None- theless, he treated Patient 1 with highly toxic chemotherapy for more than a decade, resulting in the patient's demise." e documents detail other alleged errors made by Dr. Weiner, including "alarming narcotic prescribing practices," in which he prescribed high-dose opioids to patients with non-cancer pain without documentation. St. Peter's legal counsel said they confirmed the prescriptions by searching through the Montana Prescription Drug Registry. Among other allegations of harm include a situation where Dr. Weiner treated a patient who went through chemotherapy for eight years without retesting to evaluate whether the treatment was still necessary, patients not understanding why they were being treated and inadequate documentation of physical exams. J. Devlan Geddes, Dr. Weiner's attorney, denied the claims. "He carefully monitored every patient for whom he pre- scribed opioid medications to ensure the patient needed the medication and was not addicted," Mr. Geddes wrote in an email to the Independent Record. Dr. Weiner filed a lawsuit against the hospital Dec. 10 af- ter he was dismissed from his position Nov. 17, claiming it was done without good cause and damaged his reputa- tion. Some of Dr. Weiner's former patients filed a class-ac- tion lawsuit against St. Peter's in November, claiming they weren't consulted before his sudden absence, resulting in gaps in their care. St. Peter's is asking the court to dismiss the class-action lawsuit. n CDC: Tight-fitting masks, 2 masks maximize protection By Erica Carbajal D ouble masking or knotting and tucking a single medi- cal procedure mask helps prevent air leakage and im- prove mask performance, according to the CDC's Feb. 10 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. After performing lab experiments with dummies, the CDC found that modifying masks to tighten the fit reduced expo- sure to potentially infectious aerosols, including those in the size range able to transmit SARS-CoV-2, by about 95 percent. Researchers evaluated two modifications: Layering a cloth mask over a medical procedure mask, known as double masking, and a single medical procedure mask with knotted ear loops and tucked-in sides to help get rid of any loose material. When the infected wearer (source) and receiver were both fitted with the double mask or knotted and tucked mask modifications, the cu- mulative exposure of the receiver was reduced by 96.4 percent and 95.9 percent for each modification, respectively. The report also highlighted the use of solid or elastic mask fit- ters and a modification where a nylon cover is placed over a mask, as additional effective options to improve mask fit. "The data in this report underscore the finding that good fit can increase overall mask efficiency," the CDC said. "Multiple simple ways to improve fit have been demonstrated to be effective." n Kentucky nurse fired after attending Capitol riot By Erica Carbajal A Kentucky nurse who worked at Evansville, Ind.-based Ascension St. Vincent hospital said she was fired after attending the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, Fox affiliate WZTV reported Jan. 13. Lori Vinson, RN, told the station she believes her employer went too far and has appealed the decision with the hospital. "I felt like what I had done was justified, and so I just said [to my employer] I would do this all over again tomorrow. I'm sorry that you don't see my worth," Ms. Vinson said. "The doors were open, people were filing through, there were no signs that said, 'Do not enter,'" she said. "There were no cops saying, 'Don't come in,'" adding she disagrees with those who inflicted damage on Capitol grounds. Ms. Vinson said the FBI questioned her about her involvement and did not charge her with anything, though the agency did not confirm whether it will charge her. Ascension St. Vincent told WZTV it declined to comment on specific employee matters. n

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