Suing Putnam General and John Anderson King

Huntington West Virginia's WSAZ3 reports on "Suing Putnam General."

The people who are suing the former Putnam General Hospital packed a courtroom Monday in Putnam County, finally getting their cases before a jury.

It’s the first of many civil trials involving the hiring of Dr. John King and his work at the former Putnam General.

We already know the allegations that Dr. King botched more than a hundred orthopedic surgeries at the hospital when it was owned by HCA.

The question in this first trial, did the hospital do enough to check king's background, before the doctor got temporary privileges to begin doing surgery.

The company that put King to work in Putnam County is on trial, the allegation that HCA and Putnam general rushed to get King operating privileges, despite serious flaws and omissions on his application.

See the full report: http://www.wsaz.com/newsohio/headlines/8541742.html

Update 7/31/07 -

Charleston Daily Mail
A jury says Putnam General Hospital was negligent when it hired an osteopathic physician who later was accused of more than 100 acts of medical malpractice. http://www.dailymail.com/story/Putnam+County++News/2007073160/Jury-says-Putnam-hospital-negligent-in-hiring-doctor/

The Putnam County Circuit Court jury deliberated about an hour Tuesday afternoon before holding the hospital responsible for allowing Dr. John King to practice there. The verdict means Putnam General will be a co-defendant in 122 medical malpractice lawsuits filed against King.

WSAZ News - Charleston WV
The jury found that Putnam General failed to meet the standard of care in considering King's applications for credentials in 2002.

Jurors also said the plaintiffs can seek punitive damages against the hospital.

http://www.wsaz.com/news/headlines/8836807.html

Comments

[ER/ICU RN]

I worked at Putnam for 9 years- 1997-2006. I remember when Dr. King and his "PA"- which must have stood for personal assisitant instead of physician assistant- came to the hospital. They put on a good show for all to see, then BOOM! The messed up surgeries that OTHER doctors had to save, what they could, the damage to the ones that NO-ONE will touch now because as soon as the pt says "I had Dr. King do the surgery" they are told " there isn't anything we can do to help you" EVEN OUT OF STATE!- one case in particular was a serious blunder on a pt in the OR and Dr. King wanted to keep right on working on the pt. even though he was bleeding so bad he almost died....if it had not been for one particular surgeon to help this man and throw King out of the OR, that man could have died. No resepect for anyone- staff, patients, his peers-meaning the other physcians he came in contact with day to day. I had a particular run in with him over a nine year old with bilateral broken wrists. He admitted her to the unit I was on with HIS standard orders...pain medicine for pain control, and so on. I recieved this child well after midnight, she was to go to surgery that morning. The child was having significant pain in both wrists...i reveiwed the orders for pain medicine- what he had written was for an adult- certainly not for a small sized 9 year old. I called him at home at about one in the morning. He yelled, screamed and cussed me out for having called to ask him a "stupid" question---he was asleep...awwww....back to that stupid question....I asked him if he would like to give an order for a pediatric dose of pain medication, say 3 times less than what he had ordered. I was stupid for asking an assanine question like that. So after hearing I was nothin but a stupid nurse trying to tell a doctor how to write for pain medicine, I told him he needed to first learn to practice medicine. Then I hung up on him and called the ER doc...explained the problem and I showed the ER doc the orders....after a whisper of profanity from the ER doc....none directed at me....he wrote appropriate medication orders for the child. No one was harmed from that event. I spoke up about it to a couple of the Docs on the Peer review board....not much was done, i never heard about that incident again...but i was soon labled a "trouble maker" by guess who......MR. I dont-want to be responsible for any mistakes that I have made so I have changed my name and made up a story someone had been stealing my identity KING.....Who wanted that identity...there is not enough medication to go with that headache.
In summary, it was and is one of the Worst mistakes PGH has made...what a disservice to its comunity! I really think a full investigation should have been initiated before he left, reasonable doubt....until proven guilty...but no HCA and Putnam let him go, shredded his portfolio with his so- called credentials and the lack of follow up made by the hospital admin. to fully be able to back up he was what he said he was...Ortho doc? ( never completed the residency). Oh and I fully believe he did have his Juris Doctorate...so he would know how to evade and get out of all his predicaments so far. Typical of Putnam to say...ummm....well we kind of lost his file.......that hospital is pathetic anyway...from top admin to the bottom feeders. SO now after 5 years I finally could get that off my mind and release it.. That way I can't be a trouble maker anymore...and hey I didn't even have to change my name. ha ha ha Enjoy

[Lisa]

I am writing about the John King case and would really like to speak with the author of the above blog. leebelle7@aol.com