ER Physician Sues Hospital

[WahooRN08]

lewis-gale is sued over er doctor's termination

the doctor claimed she was targeted after she spoke with nurses about working conditions.

by laurence hammack

981-3239

(from the roanoke times and world news.)

an emergency room doctor claims that when she met with nurses to discuss their concerns about working conditions at lewis-gale medical center, the hospital viewed her as a "corporate terrorist" and worked to have her fired.

dr. karen alldredge made the allegations in a $10.5 million lawsuit filed monday in roanoke circuit court.

after meeting with a group of er nurses in march to discuss their complaints over dinner, alldredge tried to approach lewis-gale officials but quickly learned they were not receptive to the concerns, the lawsuit states.

although alldredge was not a lewis-gale employee -- she was one of seven partners in southwest emergency physicians, a firm that provides emergency room care for the salem hospital -- she claims that lewis-gale "used its corporate power for retaliation" against her.

according to the lawsuit, lewis-gale issued an ultimatum to southwest emergency physicians: either fire alldredge immediately or have its contract with the hospital terminated. the shareholders of southwest emergency physicians voted to terminate alldredge on may 1, according to the suit.

"large hospitals have the economic clout to intimidate doctors in their practices, but they do not have the legal right to interfere with the contracts that doctors have with others," alldredge's lawyers, john fishwick and john lichtenstein, said in a written statement.

hospital officials denied the allegations.

"dr. alldredge's claims are without basis and lewis-gale will defend this vigorously," spokeswoman nancy may said. "we are confident the legal process will ultimately show the truth."

even though it was southwest emergency physicians -- not lewis-gale -- that fired alldredge, she chose not to bring a wrongful termination lawsuit. instead, lewis-gale is the lone defendant in a lawsuit accusing the hospital of illegally interfering in alldredge's business relationship with her partners.

alldredge is asking for $10 million in compensatory damages and an additional $500,000 in punitive damages.

the lawsuit does not describe the workplace concerns the nurses took to alldredge. nor does it say exactly who referred to alldredge as a "corporate terrorist."

that comment, attributed simply to lewis-gale management, was made during a meeting with the executive board of southwest emergency physicians, the lawsuit stated.

[elizabells, BSN, RN]

Great. We finally find a doctor who gives a fig about nurses' working conditions, and she's a "corporate terrorist"? Dollars to donuts that's not a union hospital, and the administration is afraid they're going to try to organize.