Doctor Ted Schreiber is the third cardiologist in a week to file a civil lawsuit against the Detroit Medical Center and its parent company, Tenet Health Corporation.
Schreiber's attorney Stephanie Ottenwess says he raised a number of safety concerns after Texas-based Tenet Health Corporation bought the hospital in 2013.
Schreiber helped build Harper Hospital’s Cardio Team One, a team of emergency cardiologists on site 24-7, every day of the year. But Ottenwess says a few years ago he started complaining to his bosses about problems with the team. Some doctors were simply on call, not on site, she says.
“You could have situations where patients were coming to the DMC for the Cardio Team One service and essentially that team that should’ve been in place really wasn’t in place,” Ottenwess said.
Other doctors weren’t experienced enough, his lawsuit claims, and did quote “unnecessary and dangerous” surgeries that they billed Medicare and Medicaid for.
He alleges they ignored his concerns and retaliated against him.
The lawsuit claims the hospital “retaliated against Dr. Shreiber because of his protected activity by subjecting him to increased scrutiny, isolation, changed terms and conditions of employment, false accusations of poor performance, intimidating him and threatening then extorting him to resign.”
The hospital system has not responded to a request for comment.
“This is a man who built this hospital and has an art installation dedicated to him in the heart of the Heart Hospital,” his attorney Stephanie Ottenwess said. “It’s just simply not right for Dr. Schreiber, nor for the patients in the city of Detroit.”
