Becker's recently highlighted three controversies involving orthopedic surgeons, ranging from lawsuits to opposition against development plans, within a span of just 10 days.
Here's the three lawsuits:
1. A lawsuit filed by Geico alleging false insurance claims by orthopedic surgeon Erik Bendiks, MD, and neurologist Sonia Pasi, MD, has been dismissed. The 2023 lawsuit accused the two physicians and attorney Ronald Shane Smith of violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, seeking over $2.8 million in damages for alleged fraudulent medical bills and reports.
However, as of Oct. 28, both physicians entered stipulations of dismissal with prejudice and without costs, permanently closing the case.
2. Plans for the Southern Orthopedic Center in Montgomery, Ala., have hit a temporary roadblock. The state’s Certificate of Need Board delayed its decision for a month, urging the center’s developers and opposing parties—Birmingham-based Baptist Health and Jackson Hospital—to work toward a resolution.
"As charged by the State Health Planning and Development Agency-Certificate of Need Board of Directors we look forward to working together with Southern Orthopedic Surgeons to determine the best possible outcomes for all involved—most importantly our patients and community," Baptist Health said in a statement to WSFA.
On Nov. 15, a judge ruled in favor of Southern Orthopedics’ plans to proceed with the center, which is designed to include six operating rooms, two procedure rooms, and a surgical robot for joint replacements.
3. A patient, Jason Rosen, was awarded $3.16 million in a medical malpractice case related to a September 2015 spinal surgery that caused irreversible nerve damage. The initial procedure, performed in May 2015 by Princeton, N.J.-based orthopedic surgeon Rony Nazarian, MD, was intended to address a herniated disc.
However, a subsequent surgery in September 2015, performed by Hackensack, N.J.-based orthopedic surgeon Harshpal Singh, MD, revealed significant damage to the C8 nerve root. Dr. Singh attributed the injury to Dr. Nazarian’s earlier procedure, a conclusion supported by the co-surgeon, according to court documents.