Malcom Smith, M.D.Chief of MGH orthopedic trauma, in a written statement, said it would be unethical and illegal under federal privacy laws to respond to anything about the case specifically. Read the draft version. Meet the IGOT Team | UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery MGHs rules satisfied those federal regulationsMedicare rules are designed in part to keep the government, which pays teaching hospitals to train residents and fellows, from overpaying for patient care. named new co-directors of the HSS Women's Sports Medicine Center. Burke and a small but determined cohort of anesthesiologists and other Mass. Our spine team sees patients at these locations: Mass General - Boston55 Fruit StreetYawkey Center for Outpatient Care, Suite 3ABoston, MA 02114, Orthopaedics at Mass General Waltham52 Second AvenueBuilding 52, 1st Floor, Suite 1150Waltham, MA 02451, Newton-Wellesley Spine Center159 Wells AvenueNewton, MA 02459, Mass General/North Shore Center for Outpatient Care102-104 Endicott StreetDanvers, MA 01923, BW / Mass General Health Care Center20 Patriot PlaceFoxborough, MA 01923. Partway through the procedure, Bhattacharyya left Shervin and another resident in room 21 and scrubbed into operating room 25 as the attending for an ankle fracture case that had started two minutes after Pereiras case, according to medical records. On Aug. 10, Burkes lawyer got a call from an attorney for the hospital bearing hard news: Mass. Learn more about our surgical optimization program, which will help you plan and prepare for your upcoming procedure. Anesthesia, Critical Care & Pain Medicine, Billing, Insurance & Financial Assistance, Mass General/North Shore Center for Outpatient Care. After more than two years, the board, according to MGH, recently informed several surgeons they were no longer under review. Orthopaedic Spine Service 617-724-8636 Contact Information Orthopaedic Spine Service Phone: 617-724-8636 Fax: 617-726-7587 Request an appointment Our spine team sees patients at these locations: Mass General - Boston 55 Fruit Street Yawkey Center for Outpatient Care, Suite 3A Boston, MA 02114 Orthopaedics at Mass General Waltham 52 Second Avenue He then returned to the University of Michigan, where he was promoted to the rank of Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery and was later named Chief of Adult Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Michigan Hospitals and Chief of Orthopedics at the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center. Chief, Orthopedic Surgery Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital . 617-724-8636 Request an appointment. The older doctor grabbed Burkes arm, as Burke recounts it, and spoke a few chilling words: You will never be forgiven. Rubash, in a July 2011 deposition, described Burke as engaging in extreme advocacy, taking his cause to many people in positions of authority and not considering the views of others. He called Mengs sudden plight, a devastating sort of picture., In 2013, Wood stepped down from his post as chief of spine surgery because he never felt completely comfortable in his abilities to communicate with and lead the division, RubashHarry E. Rubash, M.D.Chief of orthopedic surgery said in a written statement to the Globe. Ultimately, Smith agreed to the patients request and the woman calmed down. As Burke recalls it, Shervin sobbed into the phone, asking what she should do. After a resident positioned her for the surgery, the attending surgeon, Dr. Timothy Bhattacharyya, made an incision to expose the hip, according to medical and court records reviewed by the Globe. Dr. Mark Price, a fellow in the orthopedics department, had accidentally sliced a blood vessel during a complex shoulder operation in late 2008, and the patient was quickly losing blood, according to Dr. Neelakantan Sunder, an anesthesiologist, and Jane Hardiman, a certified nurse anesthetist, who were working on the case and present in the room. Wood, Rubash said, chose to step down from his hospital leadership position the following year amid concerns about his communications skills. Barr, Joseph S., MD - Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA In one of the few scientific studies of simultaneous surgeries, a University of Virginia researcher found no increase in complications in operations that overlapped by up to 45 minutes. General Physicians Organization, Former US Attorney hired by Partners to investigate double-booking, Chairman of the chiefs council, a founder of Partners HealthCare, visit our home for Globe coverage of the issue. triathlete and orthopaedic surgery patient, If you have any questions, contact Megan Leelman at, Anesthesia, Critical Care & Pain Medicine, Billing, Insurance & Financial Assistance, Mass General Sports Medicine Physicians Head to Red Sox Spring Training, Family Nurse Practitioner Colleen McGauley, FNP-BC, Delivers Orthopedics Presentation at Statewide Conference, Orhun Muratoglu, PhD, Inducted into the National Academy of Inventors' Fellows Program, Sports Medicine Physician Kelly McInnis, DO, Receives 2023 Moyer Award, 31st Annual Smith Day & 8th Annual Jupiter International Forum. The patient was then wheeled into the operating room and given anesthesia, while the surgical team, including Dalal, waited for Vrahas. SunderNeelakantan Sunder, M.D.Anesthesiologist would later retire, in part because he was fed up with the battle over double-booking. Later that Sunday, after meeting with the family, he performed the surgery. So he pressed ahead quickly with that phase of the surgery, completing, he said, all the major work before handing Meng over to a surgical resident, Dr. Rojeh Melikian, to close the skin on Mengs neck. Copyright 2007-2023. Veteran spine surgeon specializing in complete range of adult spinal disorders. He had skimmed a list of potential complications, including paralysis, in a consent form days earlier, but his focus was overwhelmingly on ending his chronic painTony Meng was diagnosed in July 2012 with a condition more prevalent among Asian men, known as ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament or OPLL.. Thats when he bumped into Dr. W. Gerald Austen, the 85-year-old retired chief of surgery and a founder of Partners HealthCare, the parent company of MGH. Read the final policy. But Vrahas had at least one other operation going on at the same time, and a resident performed the procedure instead, Dalal said in an interview. Wood said he believed the cause of the worrisome neurological responses could be compression on the spinal cord from the back side. I am disappointed that you felt the need to take this to an outside authority as I am confident that changes internally are in place that could deal with the problems. He told the Globe that the second part of the operation, which lasted five hours and involved removing hardware from her spine, was not difficult. Dr. Christopher M. Bono is a board-certified, fellowship-trained adult spine surgeon in the Orthopaedic Spine Center at Massachusetts General Hospital. Our orthopedic surgery team includes renowned surgeons who are highly skilled and experienced in their specialty area. Orthopaedic Journal at Harvard Medical School - annual publication Dr. Kwon has varied clinical interests including sports-related injuries, arthritis, deformity correction, total ankle replacement, cartilage, ligament and tendon disorders and trauma. He is an internationally-recognized expert on the treatment of foot and ankle fractures and other traumatic injuries to the lower extremity. Although on a different track, Dr. Glickel managed to spend some time with Dick and even operated with him as a resident. Any senior resident who could hold a knife could have done it, Phan said. First, Dennis Burke a leading hip and knee replacement specialist who hastily flew to Switzerland to aid Secretary of State John F. Kerry when he broke his femur in May went to war with hospital administrators and some of his peers over his assertion that running concurrent surgeries is ethically unthinkable and dangerous. Dublin, N.H. : William L. Bauhan, 1996. (Lillemoe later said he had misspoken.). His name is Andrew Freiberg, M.D. MRI results came in after midnight and confirmed that something was very wrong. PDF Harvard Orthopedic Trauma Fellowship Massachusetts General Hospital General planned to summarily terminate his privileges for violations of hospital policies, giving him until November to wrap up his affairs with patients. I always felt like the [treatment] plan was built for me, and it was like a three-legged stool: It was an ongoing conversation between myself, the physical therapist and the doctor. The morning after their conversation, Skates reached out to Dr. David Torchiana, head of the physicians organization and now chief executive of Partners, who promised to look into the matter, according to e-mails obtained by the Globe. He gathered 15 months of his own records, including 440 surgeries he worked on in 2014, the period the hospital analyzed. As chief, he was instrumental in the creation of the Orthopedic Research Laboratories. She first checked room 22, where she had earlier assisted BhattacharyyaTimothy Bhattacharyya, M.D.Trauma surgeon on a third case that also overlapped briefly with Pereiras. Waiting for Wood in operating room 72 that day in 2012 was Tony Meng, a 41-year-old father of two from Westwood who had been diagnosed that summer with a serious degenerative condition that constricted his spinal cord, causing pain, tingling, and numbness. She asked Bhattacharyya if he wanted to remix it, according to court documents. Gitajn IL, Heng M, Weaver MJ, Casemyr N, May C, Vrahas MS, Harris MB. When something goes wrong as statistically it will in a small percentage of cases the surgeons failure to disclose double-booking can seem to patients inexplicable and intolerable. Speaking generally, Warner wrote, The suggestion that I am not managing all my patients care while they are in the operating room is both untrue and malicious.. Your actions have been extraordinarily disruptive to the orthopaedic surgery department, Slavin wrote Burke. The program's greatest strength is its residents. We have remained at the forefront of medicine by fostering a culture of collaboration, pushing the boundaries of medical research, educating the brightest medical minds and maintaining an unwavering commitment to the diverse communities we serve. This impressive achievement is a testament to the commitment of our clinical team to providing safe, high-quality care while ensuring an exceptional patient experience. Double-booking his first two cases enabled Wood to conduct three major operations on the day of Mengs surgery, logging a collective 21 hours as attending surgeon. General has revised its patient consent form over the years, doubling its length to roughly 500 words in the version printed last October. MGH concluded that none of the injuries was the result of double-booking, but the hospital declined to provide details to the Globe. Produced by Russell Goldenberg, Gabriel Florit, Elaina Natario, Scott LaPierre, Emily Z. Fortier, David Butler. He removed a damaged disc from the womans lower back and plugged it with bone; it would be the last surgery he did on her that day, though he checked on her twice and gave instructions to her medical team. The Brighams chief of surgery, Dr. Michael Zinner, recently said he scolded a new surgeon at his hospital who violated the rule. The most extensive analysis of concurrent surgery was presented last year when a surgical resident at the University of Virginia Health System released a study not yet published that found no difference in short-term outcomes for patients and only minimal increases in surgery length when cardiothoracic surgeries overlapped by up to 45 minutes under closely monitored conditions. No one is assuming that somebody whos present for the entire case is necessarily in the four walls of the operating room the entire time, Wood later explained in the deposition. Andrew Rogers, MD, FRCSC is the Director of Hip Preservation at Newton-Wellesley Hospital and is a Team Physician for Boston College Athletics. In 2000, Dr. Freiberg joined MGH as Chief of the Adult Reconstructive Surgery Service. Mass General is a designated Blue Distinction Center for Spine Surgery from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. Some surgeons might have awakened Meng to make sure he could still move, but Wood later testified he decided the risk that Meng would thrash and hurt himself was too great. He arrived stressing the need to reduce surgical complications generally and walked into the debate over the safety of double-booking. As a student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Burke said he had met with Austen one Saturday to discuss possibly transferring to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Austens alma mater. PDF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital My only hope is that out of all of this, some good happens. He is appealing his ouster, a process that could ultimately put the matter before MGHs board of trustees. But then, one Saturday night in June 2008, the phone rang in his home. He began the meeting by reminding the men of the obvious, that Mass. The Spotlight Team interviewed four patients who suffered complications and the relatives of two patients who died after double-booked cases between 2006 and 2015. Those changes came only after MGH officials took a remarkable step. Learn more about our surgical optimization program, which will help you plan and prepare for your upcoming procedure. Chiefs Reports - Massachusetts General Hospital BurkeDennis William Burke, M.D.Orthopedic surgeon, however, believes the incentive system did motivate some surgeons to double-book. Sitemap Privacy Policy, Winner of the MORE Award in Journalistic Excellence in Orthopedics. Bobby wanted relief from spinal stenosis. Previously, Dr. Harris served as the chief of the Orthopaedic Trauma Service at Brigham and Womens Hospital (BWH). And physicians could be anywhere on the hospitals expansive campus more than a quarter mile wide and be considered immediately available to their patients. BostonMA, 02114. Get the latest news, explore events and connect with Mass General. In addition, the Brigham says it requires that the backup doctor be identified to the patient and listed on consent forms. At MGH, that raised eyebrows and hackles. Wollman, Burke, and Sunder, in separate interviews, all also said Lillemoe cautioned that it would be draconian to ban surgeons from double-booking altogether. He repaired a hip replacement gone bad for me in 2010 and Ive loved knowing him all these years. collected, please refer to our Privacy Policy. I will f/u with harry to hear from him how this is goign to work from their perspective given the nature of the cases and the need to have attending oversight during much if not most of the procedure. Such indirect supervision, where the attending is not present, is allowed under certain circumstances at teaching hospitals. Great skill and stamina would be required for the long hours of medical ballet ahead, as Wood timed his moves between the two ORs to match the ordinary progress of each procedure and both patients needs. If I had known, I wouldnt do the surgery.. So when he crossed paths with a trustee for the Massachusetts General Physicians Organization in early November 2010, the surgeon couldnt help himself. Dont lose hope, because we may have a solution, says Bassem Elhassan, MD, co-chief of the Shoulder Service. Hospital attorneys, however, strongly defended Wood in court documents filed in Mengs malpractice suit, saying he broke no rules and acted appropriately within the accepted standard of care. In medicine it is called concurrent surgery, and the practice is hardly unique to Wood or MGH. The surgical team, led by Wood, worked intensely to figure out why. Some surgeons complained about pressure to perform more operations, but others were delighted at the chance to increase their pay through extra work. MGHs charges for Woods services that day totaled about $73,000, according to copies of the bills provided to the Globe by Mengs attorneys at the Boston law firm Lubin & Meyer. Best of luck to you, Dr. F. Zimmer is so lucky to have you! Get the latest news, explore events and connect with Mass General. Paulino Pereira NR, Langerhuizen DW, Janssen SJ, Hornicek FJ, Ferrone ML, Harris MB, Schwab JH. Thanks, Sunder. The French womans case contributed to Shervins difficulties at MGH, where she was placed on probation in 2007 for alleged shortcomings. Dr. If you have any questions, contact Megan Leelman at
Instructor or Assistant Professor of Medicine (Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension) Brigham and Women's Hospital Date Posted: 11/18/2022. OR 21 and OR 30. The General Hospital Corporation. Our multi-disciplinary spine team uses non-operative therapies and advanced surgical techniques to treat all spine conditions and disorders. For patients, however, it can come as an unsettling surprise especially when things go wrong. Long afterward he learned that Wood had a second spinal surgery going at the same time as his. Let us help you navigate your in-person or virtual visit to Mass General. Dunn quickly learned how little scientific research there was about concurrent surgery to guide him. Trustee of Mass. Michael Daubs, M.D., selected as the 50th president of The Cervical Spine Research Society (CSRS). Hes as great a person as he is a doctor and Ill miss him at MGH. And that, for MGH, was Burkes undoing. New Director at Rady Childrens San Diego, Goolsby and Shubin Stein New Co-DirectorsHSS Womens Sports Center, Raj Gala, M.D. It examined Mass. James P. Rathmell, M.D., Susan A. Vassallo, M.D. The role they crafted involves my ensuring that the perspective of the surgeon and patient is always taken into consideration., Zimmer Biomet has a new CEO, orthopedic group president, and many of the management team members are new as well. It didnt take long for the conversation to become tense.
The risks are real; the benefits can be huge. Let us help you navigate your in-person or virtual visit to Mass General. He never came back until the surgery was finished, said Dalal, who worked mostly on orthopedic cases at MGH from 2001 until he retired in 2013. I just simply did not know what to do with this kind of situation., Vrahas, in a written statement, said he does not recall any such situation and that Dalal never raised concerns about any incident like this with me either at the time or at any time despite our close professional association., MGH said, Dr. We havent found a single case where the concurrency has caused harm, so I dont think patients should be alarmed about it, Dr. Peter Slavin, Mass. Explore fellowships, residencies, internships and other educational opportunities. We use cookies and other tools to enhance your experience on our website and
Thats when, Vassallo said, she did something for the first time in 25 years of medicine: She went looking for the surgeon. By the time Bhattacharyya returned to implant the hip, they say, he had completed work on the critical parts of the ankle case, and the earlier operation in room 22 was also over. Still, the Spotlight Team found that the 2012 Meng case reignited an extraordinary, long-running controversy at one of the nations top-rated hospitals over the propriety and safety of a fairly common but little studied practice that goes to the heart of a doctors obligation to his unconscious patient. General described the hospitals philosophy in a 2011 newsletter, and Burke says he takes that creed literally. General Physicians Organization interrupted Torchiana and asked if Burke could share his views. Wood announced plans to leave for Stanford University this fall. I am surprised to find this out from the schedule. Dr. Then, on Aug. 12, MGHs president, Peter Slavin, made it official. Patients would have to authorize such comment by the hospital, and only one of those who spoke to the Globe agreed to do so. Dr. Harris chaired a Department of Defense peer-reviewed Orthopaedic research program, and has authored or co-authored more than 150 peer-reviewed academic publications. They hired the regions former top federal prosecutor to examine Burkes claims, interviewing 60 staffers across the hospital. In addition to providing the consent form, MGH says its surgeons are expected to verbally discuss with the patient the plan for the surgery and potential risks, though there is no requirement that patients be told their surgeon is overseeing two cases at once. General to many teaching hospitals where surgeons in training are integral contributors to the surgical team. Not the man, in other words, one would expect to become the hospitals bitter antagonist. Burke, in a later deposition, called Rubashs account a total fabrication.. Rubash blamed the resident for what happened and for calling Burke, who had had nothing to do with Pereiras treatment. Im just a concerned doc worried about poor patient care and potential damage to the hospitals reputation.. Did you approve this? She later sued the hospital for alleged gender discrimination, an accusation ultimately rejected by a federal court jury after almost five weeks of testimony from MGH doctors and leaders, including Rubash. When word of Mengs paralysis reached him in August 2012, he couldnt sleep, Burke says. Gerald Austen, M.D.Chairman of the chiefs council, a founder of Partners HealthCare, a heart specialist, wrote a letter of recommendation to MIT. Learn about career opportunities, search for positions and apply for a job. Membrane protecting spinal cord. Orthopedics Spine Surgeon or Neurosurgeon, Is There a Difference? Dr. Freiberg, an expert in adult reconstructive surgery with an emphasis on hip and knee arthroplasty, says he wasn't looking for a change. When the Globe informed MGH officials that Burke had rebutted their charge by providing the records, the hospital began an investigation into whether Burke had violated federal law requiring that patient information be kept confidential. When contacted by the Spotlight Team, Bhattacharyya did not refer to Pereira by name, citing patient privacy rules, but he stressed he performed all the critical parts of the surgery myself, without any kind of delay.. Department of Nursing Leadership - Brigham and Women's Hospital Days after Burke performed the follow-up operation on Pereira, he said, he approached RubashHarry E. Rubash, M.D.Chief of orthopedic surgery in the surgeons lounge on the fourth floor of the Gray Building to discuss what had happened. Burke only made it through point 12 before the meeting ended. Orthopedics Today, September 2010 Rowe, Carter R. Lest we Forget : Orthopaedics at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Ward I, 1900-1996. Learn about the many ways you can get involved and support Mass General. Its not fun to deal with this on a daily basis, Sunder said in an interview. Specialties. Stoking their anxiety, they alleged, were cases of patient complications, including two that ended with the deaths of elderly patients; cases where surgeons were out of the operating room attending to another patient when an urgent need arose; cases where surgeons didnt show up to operations, leaving the work to a resident or fellow; cases of patients lying under anesthesia for prolonged periods waiting for a doctor to arrive or return; cases where operating room staff were confused about who would do the operation. , -----, This event will be livestreamed. Dr. Bridwell is the Co-Director and Founder of the Pediatric/Adult Spinal Deformity Service. Goolsby and Shubin Stein, M.D. Dr. Bono obtained his medical degree (MD) from the State University of New York (SUNY) Health Science Center at Brooklyn (now called SUNY Downstate Medical Center). We offer diagnostic and treatment options for common and complex medical conditions. He was also an Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School. When I am in an OR and focusing on three square inches, bombs can be going off around me, and I am focused on three square inches.. After getting a call at his Beacon Hill home, WoodKirkham Wood, M.D.Spine surgeon, chief of spine 2004-2013 said in his deposition that he returned to the hospital to review the images and a few hours later operated again on Meng with two neurosurgeons assisting. The group has successfully integrated with the numerous services that are needed to treat complex oncologic patients. Orthopaedics Advances in Motion provides health care professionals with information about the latest innovations from Mass General. General in May 2011 after a distinguished career as a pancreatic cancer surgeon and surgeon-in-chief at Indiana University Hospital. Youre in the prime of your practice life. But the fact is that if I were to wait until the age of 70, I might not be as flexible or dynamic.. All Rights Reserved. But what had come of it? 5 Blossom St
Schedule a same day virtual visit when you experience a sports injury. His name is Andrew Freiberg, M.D. He told Burke that Wood had faced an appropriate punishment for violating the new concurrent surgery policy losing the right to do simultaneous procedures. Rubash, according to a hospital spokeswoman, says the meeting with Burke never took place. Copyright 2007-2023.