RE:Dynacq International:Putting profits ahead of patients?
04/29/200 khou.com
By Jeremy Rogalski / 11 News
There are some serious allegations against Vista Medical Center Hospital in Harris County. It's been cited by the federal government, the state shows a doctor there with a long history of malpractice, and other critics claim the Pasadena hospital is putting profits ahead of patients.
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The Vista Medical Center Hospital portrays itself as an ultra-efficient, highly specialized surgical center, a facility without the stress and congestion of large general hospitals.
Its Web site boasts of attracting "premier surgeons," and nurses "handpicked from the finest," and a place where "one-on-one attention is the rule, not the exception." But is that the case?
"I don't think they're really interested in quality care. They certainly aren't policing. Their credentialing is faulted, " said Dr. J. Martin Barrish, past president of the Texas Association of Neurological Surgeons.
A recent federal survey cited Vista for numerous deficiencies, including no verification that many nurses even had a valid and current license, and patient rooms with mold and mildew in bathrooms and sleeping areas.
According to the survey, "The hospital's environment had not been maintained in a manner that the safety and well-being of patients was assured."
Kenneth Woods, a former patient at Vista Medical Center Hospital had back surgery at Vista. "I tell you I wouldn't let my dog go in there, you know?" said Woods. "As far as the care, they're terrible."
"This is what he put in my body, this is what's in my body right now," said Woods, holding up an x-ray of his back. Screws and cages now line his spine, and he has complained of numerous complications.
"I mean, I was crying like a baby in there. I'll be honest with you. I was hurting so bad," said Woods.
What Woods didn't know at the time of his surgery was exactly who was in the operating room: Dr. Eric Scheffey, a man with a troubling medical track record.
State records show he's been suspended for performing unnecessary surgery. He was accused of overcharging for them. A state board also reprimanded Scheffey and put him on probation for other incidents. And his license was severely restricted.
Dr. J. Martin Barrash has reviewed Scheffey's work for years, and on behalf of patients, has testified against him in court.
"I think he has, he's got more lives than a cat. He has been sued, as far as I know, more than any physician in the United States," said Barrash.
In fact, published reports claim Scheffey has acknowledged before state medical examiners to have settled between 20 and 30 medical malpractice lawsuits during his career.
"It's a stabbing, shooting pain," said Woods, describing his symptoms. He says he knew something was seriously wrong when he went to a local Walgreens to get one of Dr. Scheffey's prescriptions filled.
"Give them the prescriptions, and they laughed in my face man and they said, 'We're not filling this man's prescriptions.' They said, 'I doubt anybody in Houston is going to fill this man's prescriptions,'" said Woods.
Dr. Scheffey didn't return our calls, and Vista said only that its doctors are subject to state regulators, who have allowed Scheffey to continue practicing.
In a statement, as far as the other violations go, Vista claims they've all been corrected and it now has a clean bill of health.
But the alarm bells are ringing far beyond the hospital's hallways. They ring all the way to Wall Street, where some attorneys argue Vista's owners duped investors with an illegal profit-making prescription.
"They were misstating their earnings," said attorney Tom Bilek.
Tom Bilek and lawyers from several other firms are suing Vista's parent company, Dynacq International, for securities fraud, claiming it artificially inflated stock prices while executives dumped loads of company stock for their personal gain.
The complaint alleges that Dynacq's CEO, in just one year's time, sold more than 300,000 shares of stock, reaping proceeds of some $6 million.
"The Dynacq case, is I think, another example of greed," said Bilek.
Vista and its owners declined to sit down for an interview, but described the lawsuits as frivolous. Long-time neurosurgeon Dr. Barrash says it doesn't take a brain surgeon to understand what's going on. "Money," said Barrash. "M-O-N-E-Y. Money."
For patients like Kenneth Woods, you can't put a price tag on quality of life. They're left wondering if their care took a backseat to big business and its bottom line. |
