Indiana Doctor Targeted With Nearly 300 Medical Malpractice Lawsuits

An Indiana cardiologist has had nearly 300 medical malpractice lawsuits filed against him. The reasons for the suits against Dr. Arvind Gandhi range from unnecessary tests to dangerous surgical procedures. The medical malpractice lawsuits have also targeted the hospital where Dr. Gandhi conducted his procedures, Community Hospital of Munster, and several other doctors at the same hospital. The suits allege that the doctors and hospitals profited from the unnecessary procedures.

State Panel Reviews Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Claims

A group of Indianapolis attorneys claim that Dr. Gandhi has been mentioned as a defendant or co-defendant in 290 medical malpractice lawsuits. According to Indiana law, a medical review panel must review each accusation of malpractice before it can move forward as a medical malpractice lawsuit. More than 150 such cases involving Dr. Gandhi and his associates are on the panel’s agenda for review. In three other cases, the panel ruled that malpractice occurred. These cases are expected to go to court early in 2016.

Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Claims Excessive Procedures

Hundreds of the medical malpractice lawsuits pending against Dr. Gandhi claim that he engaged in excessive procedures, such as angiograms. An angiogram involves the injection of a catheter into the coronary arteries to detect blockages. One of the plaintiff’s attorneys cited a case in which a patient a patient underwent more than 20 angiograms in just a few years. Another medical malpractice lawsuit claims that associates of Dr. Gandhi scheduled angiograms for patients every six months. The attorney told reporters, “There’s no such thing as a routine angiogram.”

Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Charges Start in 2004

Some of the charges leveled against Dr. Gandhi in the medical malpractice lawsuits date as far back as 2004. The cases include at least seven unnecessary procedures to implant cardiac defibrillators in patients. Other cases involve the implantation of pacemakers, which are devices used to regulate the patient’s heart rhythm. The medical malpractice lawsuits allege that cases such as these exposed patients to unwarranted risks of pain, injury and financial hardship.

Medical Malpractice Lawsuits May Affect Award Caps

Current Indiana law limits a doctor’s financial exposure in a medical malpractice lawsuit to $250,000 per incident, with a limit of three incidents per year. The law also limits the amount a patient can receive from the state’s Patient Compensation Fund to $1.25 million. State insurance officials told reporters that they cannot yet predict the effects of the hundreds of medical malpractice lawsuits against Dr. Gandhi will have on these limits. However, the state’s medical professionals may be called on to make higher contributions to the Patient Compensation Fund to make up for the payouts expected from the Gandhi cases.

Source: Indiana Lawyer

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