External Peer Review Heads off Litigation
After internal politics and a lawsuit threat prompted conduct external peer review, a hospital hires an independent review organization to sort out and establish the red flags of the case.
Internal politics and the threat of a lawsuit prompted a 600-bed hospital in central Illinois to hire an Independent Review Organization (IRO) to provide an external peer review. A patient of Dr. Ian Gilpin filed a lawsuit against the doctor and the hospital over complications after the surgery. The hospital CEO also spoke with Dr. Gilpin who showed in his notes that the patient had refused certain tests, advice and post-operative follow-up. During the discovery phase, the hospital released the case notes for attorneys to review.
The attorney for the hospital advised the hospital to consult with an external peer review organization. The hospital had never used one before, but the CEO saw the need for an expert objective decision and agreed to hire one.
After a complete and rapid review of all the red flags in the case, the reviewer pointed out that the facts were in Dr. Gilpin's favor and that the patient's decision to decline the tests, the doctor's advice and post-operative follow-up likely caused his complications. The CEO felt that despite the cost of the external review, the hospital was able to avoid litigation and possible award costs, which would have been far higher and time consuming, and could have potentially damaged both the hospital and the practitioner's reputation.
