Disruptive surgeons can make life miserable. They can intimidate OR staff, threaten patient safety and force you to play the uncomfortable role of referee. Here's the story of an orthopedic surgeon who was allegedly so disruptive that his hospital suspended his privileges for a year — a suspension upheld by a Minnesota appeals court last month.
In April 2009, after a series of disruptive incidents, Corey Welchlin, DO, received a warning from the Fairmont (Minn.) Medical Center's chief of staff: Another complaint, and your hospital privileges will be suspended. A few weeks later, according to court records, Dr. Welchlin allegedly raised his voice when accusing a member of his surgical staff of deliberately delaying his case. He grabbed a surgical drape out of their hand with enough force to tear it in half. The staff member reported him for threatening and intimidating behavior.
After investigating the matter, the hospital's medical executive committee recommended suspending Dr. Welchlin's privileges for 2 years. Dr. Welchlin requested and received a hearing. The 3-member panel ruled that his behavior was disruptive and a threat to quality patient care, and called for a 1-year revocation of hospital privileges. Dr. Welchlin's in-house appeal was denied.
He filed an unsuccessful breach of contract lawsuit against the hospital in trial court, then unsuccessfully argued the case to a state appeals court.
Aaron R. Hartman, Dr. Welchlin's attorney, explains that the hospital's peer-review process was stacked against his client from the beginning. "The hospital makes the rules, interprets the rules and appoints the panel that decides the doctor's fate. The proceeding was set up in a way that declared the doctor guilty until proven innocent. We were hoping the court would view the case in a different light than the hospital did. We hoped for a more searching review. Obviously, we were disappointed by the result."
Despite the lost breach-of-contract appeal, though, there's a happy ending. After his suspension expired, Dr. Welchlin returned to Fairmont, and according to hospital administrators, he and the staff are getting along just fine.
Rob Murphy
