Posts Tagged ‘healthcare bullying’
First U.S. “Bullying” Trial
Friday, May 15th, 2009
Doescher vs. Raess, Indiana, Marion County (Indianapolis), March 2005
Jury found Dr. Raess guilty of battery, awarded plaintiff Doescher $325,000
Expert witness: Dr. Gary Namie, WBI
Appellate Court reversal
2008 Indiana Supreme Court restoral of trial verdict and award for plaintiff
Read the entire story and view the Supreme Court hearing
Tags: bully MD, healthcare bullying, trial, US courts
Posted in Bullying Tutorials, Court Rulings, Social Justice | Post a Comment »
Drunk Neurosurgeon Bully
Wednesday, May 13th, 2009
This outburst in the OR by a surgeon is not uncommon. We know from consulting to hospitals who want to curb bullying that extreme misconduct against nurses is standard M.O. for many surgeons who rule their “kingdoms.” And for once, the nurses got to see the bully temporarily brought down.
This type of conduct is what I read as an expert witness in court cases involving bullying physicians. Similar things happened in the trial dubbed the “first bullying trial” in Indianapolis, IN in March, 2005 in which I testified.
How rare were angry, hostile, bullying rants by Castro-Moure? Was this the first and only time that an otherwise respectful, gentle man exploded? Not likely. The statement by the chief medical officer about Castro-Moure’s normalcy means little. He probably never works directly with him in the OR, the workplace that bully surgeons terrorize. He only sees him through an administrative lens and as a fellow physician, a club member deserving protection. (more…)
Tags: bully MD, healthcare bullying
Posted in Employer Action/Inaction, Health Care | Post a Comment »
Abusive Bosses in Medical Fields Targeted
Wednesday, February 4th, 2009
By James Thalmanr Deseret News (Salt Lake City, UT) February 4, 2009
Hospitals would become bully-free zones and bad-boss behavior prohibited in state statute under a bill that a legislative review committee on Tuesday earmarked for interim study.
Despite opposition to the bill by the head of the state Division of Risk Management, former district Judge Roger Livingston, counter testimony from disgruntled health-care workers who support HB224 was too compelling for lawmakers to ignore.
They heard and were given written accounts of ostensibly competent, caring medical providers being driven from their jobs and even out of the state by supervisors who induce stress in an already high-stress occupation. The hyper-patrolling and controlling oversight — which included employees having to ask to go the bathroom are far from uncommon and are adding injury to the insult in the form of serious mistakes and harm to patients, committee members were told.
Tags: bully MD, HB224, healthcare bullying, Healthy Workplace Bill, Sandstrom, Utah
Posted in Bullying in the News, Health Care, WBI Legislative Campaign | Post a Comment »
Lawmakers May Study Abusive Workplace Issues
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009
By Heather May Salt Lake Tribune February 3, 2009
This summer, lawmakers may study whether they can and should outlaw “an abusive work environment” in government-owned health care settings, such as the University of Utah.
Members of the House Health and Human Services weren’t ready to legislate against bad behavior, and instead recommended HB224 be studied.
Stephen Sandstrom, R-Orem, said the bill is aimed mainly at residency programs where there have been instances of supervisors targeting trainees with verbal abuse or behavior aimed at undermining their work, forcing them to quit.
Bill supporters noted current law doesn’t protect employees from such abuse unless the harassment is based on sex or race. They said intimidating behavior can psychologically harm employees and can lead to medical errors when providers are scared to speak up. A national accrediting agency now requires hospitals to have codes of conduct on such behavior.
But opponents, including the state’s risk manager, said it would be a vast departure from current law. And they said it would invite lawsuits, since it would be creating a new protected class of employees in what is now a right-to-work state.
Tags: HB224, healthcare bullying, Healthy Workplace Bill, Utah
Posted in Bullying in the News, WBI Legislative Campaign | 5 Comments »
Trends: Putting a Stop to Medical Road Rage
Saturday, January 17th, 2009
By Melissa Knopper Clinician Reviews January 17, 2009
Joseph Doescher and Daniel Raess worked side by side in the operating room at St. Francis Hospital in Beech Grove, Indiana. Doescher and the other perfusionists often had to put up with yelling, swearing, and belittling comments from Raess, the heart surgeon. Finally, Doescher reported the behavior to his supervisor. Raess got wind of it and retaliated.
In subsequent court proceedings, Doescher described looking up at Raess’ red face and popping veins. He was afraid Raess was going to hit him. In the end, Doescher left his job with a debilitating case of depression. Later, he sued Raess and was awarded $325,000 in compensatory (but not punitive) damages.
Shortly after the Indiana Supreme Court decided this high-profile medical case, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) issued a safety alert, requiring hospitals to adopt a zero-tolerance policy toward workplace bullying.
Tags: bully MD, bullying trial, Doescher, healthcare bullying, Indiana
Posted in Bullying in the News, Court Rulings, Health Care | Post a Comment »
Who We Are
WBI is the only United States organization dedicated to the eradication of workplace bullying that combines help for individuals, research, public education, consulting for employers, and legislative advocacy.