There is a long-standing issue in healthcare of high-ranking medical practitioners avoiding accountability, even in cases involving mistreatment or neglect of patients. Peers and colleagues often hesitate to report concerns out of fear of retaliation or professional consequences.
In a recent article for MDLinx, Frier Levitt attorney Alex Keoskey addressed these issues from a legal standpoint, emphasizing that retaliation concerns can prevent misconduct from being identified or addressed. As he noted, “such conduct may not be noticed or uncovered due to failure of patients to complain, the rotation of staff members to other employment, nepotism, favoritism, political alliances, or the organizational dynamics common to many workplaces.” He further explained that compliance officers within a medical practice should remain independent from other medical staff to eliminate conflicts of interest and reduce perceptions of favoritism that may discourage employees from submitting reports.
