TOWSON, MD — A civil suit brought by former patients against Dr Mark Midei and Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), the owner of the hospital where he was formerly employed, has been settled. Lawyers for the plaintiffs said they'd "come up with a successful resolution," according to WBAL-TV11[1].
Midei, however, told heartwire that he was not involved in the settlement, has no knowledge of the amount, and did not consent to or contribute to the settlement. More than 200 patients settled in addition to the 21 being actively tried, he noted. "I continue to maintain that the patients received necessary and appropriate care," he said in an email.
As previously reported by heartwire , Midei is the interventional cardiologist accused of placing unnecessary stents in patients while working at St Joseph Medical Center. Midei lost his medical license after the Maryland Medical Board concluded he committed "repeated and serious" violations of the Medical Practice Act when he implanted the stents between 2007 and 2009.
Patients claimed to have suffered from a range of complications as a result of the stents they received, according to the Baltimore Sun [2]. Complaints included bleeding and bruising from the need to take long-term clopidogrel, pain associated with the procedure, and feelings of distrust of/betrayal by doctors.
In his email to heartwire , Midei pointed out that the settlement was reached "on the eve of" his testimony in the trial.
"I have spent four years and thousands of hours in preparation for this testimony," Midei said. "I have spent significant personal resources in preparing for my defense. I have also spent nearly six weeks in trial while the plaintiffs presented their case. My defense was scheduled to begin today with a series of experts, including Drs William O'Neill of Michigan, Richard Heuser of Phoenix, Gary Walford of Johns Hopkins, James Margolis of Miami, David Cox of Pennsylvania, and Earl Hope of Pennsylvania."
In the past six weeks, he continued, CHI and his former hospital have praised and defended Midei's work. "The settlement on the eve of my testimony represents an obvious effort on the part of CHI to silence me, which has been a consistent theme since their determination to nullify the long-term contract they initiated with me in 2008."
Asked about the settlement, a CHI spokesperson sent heartwire the following statement: "The trial that has been proceeding since April 1 has been resolved by agreement of the parties in a confidential settlement that included all former patients of Dr Mark Midei who are represented by the Miller Murtha & Psoras law firm."
In 2012, Midei's bid to bring a $60-million defamation suit against his employer, related to how the allegations were managed by the hospital, was rejected by the Baltimore County Circuit Court.
News of Midei's settlement comes in the wake of several other high-profile settlements in other "unnecessary-stenting" cases, several of which were initiated by the Department of Justice.
Midei noted that he has been released with prejudice by the plaintiffs, meaning they cannot sue him again.
Heartwire from Medscape © 2013 Medscape, LLC
Cite this: Midei Malpractice Suit Settled Before Hearing Midei's Testimony - Medscape - May 03, 2013.
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