MEDICAL MALPRACTICE AND PERSONAL INJURY LAW BLOG

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$140 Million Settlement For 255 Malpractice Claims

More than 2 years ago, in February 2018, we wrote about a settlement award of $40 million in a medical malpractice case involving an orthopedist convicted of fraud. Dr. Spyros Panos was a board-certified orthopedic surgeon in New York, who was convicted of federal health care fraud.

A year later, 255 total malpractice lawsuits were eventually resolved against Dr. Spyros Panos for a total of $140 million. The amount of the settlement sounds like a lot but for the individual patients, it may not be enough to restore their lives to what they were before the injuries. It is a tragedy for the patients and their families that this doctor was allowed to continue harming patients for nearly a decade. 

Panos continues to deny any wrongdoing and did not consent to the settlement but was overruled by the primary insurance company. 

Up To 20 Surgeries a Day

One of the allegations against Dr. Spyros Panos was that he was ordering unnecessary surgeries, performing surgeries on healthy patients, botching surgeries, and billing for procedures that were never performed. 

Claims were also filed against the Mid Hudson Medical Group, Dr. Spyros Panos’ former practice. The medical group allegedly failed to look into Dr. Panos’ high procedure rates and high office visit volumes. Panos allegedly performed up to 20 surgeries a day and saw as many as 90 patients in a day. 

Continuing Criminal Trouble

According to the criminal complaint from the Justice Department, after Panos completed his jail sentence, he was again arrested on 3 criminal counts, including health care fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. This time, Panos was accused of using another physician’s identity to review Workers’ Compensation cases, billing more than $860,000.

Death After Unnecessary Procedure

Debra Nenni McNamee blames Dr. Spanos for the loss of her mother Constance Nenni, after a knee operation. Nenni died the day after Dr. Spanos performed an arthroscopy surgery. According to McNamee, it was unnecessary to put her mother under anesthetic. Nenni died from a blood clot in the lung. 

Negligent Doctors Continue to Practice Medicine

When a doctor commits medical malpractice and the injury victim wins a lawsuit in court, it does not stop the doctor from practicing. It is usually up to the state’s medical board to determine whether a doctor can continue to practice or faces sanctions. Unfortunately, this leaves a lot of patients vulnerable to negligent doctors continuing to cause unnecessary injury or death. 

Medical Malpractice Attorneys in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C.

Victims of unnecessary surgeries may be able to claim damages for their injuries. Compensation in an unnecessary surgery claim can include: 

  • Medical expenses as a result of the unnecessary surgical procedure; 
  • Loss of income from missing work to recover from the procedure; 
  • Costs of future medical care needed as a result of the surgical procedure; 
  • Physical pain that a person suffered after the surgery; and 
  • Emotional trauma from an unnecessary surgical procedure. 

If you suspect your doctor or surgeon performed an unnecessary procedure that caused injury or harm, you may have a claim for medical malpractice. The skilled medical malpractice attorneys at Gilman & Bedigian fight to get compensation for injured patients. Contact our law office online or by calling (866) 849-9899.

About the Author

Briggs Bedigian
Briggs Bedigian

H. Briggs Bedigian (“Briggs”) is a founding partner of Gilman & Bedigian, LLC.  Prior to forming Gilman & Bedigian, LLC, Briggs was a partner at Wais, Vogelstein and Bedigian, LLC, where he was the head of the firm’s litigation practice.  Briggs’ legal practice is focused on representing clients involved in medical malpractice and catastrophic personal injury cases. 

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