News & Hot Topics
Texas Nurses Settle Lawsuit After Turning In Doctor For Improper Treat
Posted on Sep 14, 2010
Two Texas nurses have settled a lawsuit after a long legal battle regarding whistle-blowing and doctor misconduct.
In 2009, two nurses, Anne Mitchel and Vickilyn Galle, sent an anonymous complaint to the Texas Medical Board regarding a doctor at their rural West Texas hospital, Rolando G. Arafiles Jr. The complaint outlined several events regarding nine different patients, including failure to keep proper medical records, overbilling, poor decision-making, improper prescriptions, and improper coding.
Following their letter, the nurses were fired by Winkler County Memorial Hospital, were Dr. Arafiles still works. They filed a lawsuit in response to losing their jobs, and will now split $750,000 in damages. However, they are still unable to find work in their field after losing their jobs. They have over four decades of experience combined.
Dr. Arafiles had already had his medical license limited by the Texas Medical Board in 2007 after his unprofessional conduct with subordinates and patients at a weight loss clinic.
The nurses faced criminal charges after a Winkler County Sheriff, who was also a close friend of the doctor, investigated the anonymous letter and found the draft on the hard drive of one of the nurses. Nursing associations from across the country backed the nurses, saying that if the nurses were convicted, it would dissuade other nurses from blowing the whistle on dangerous doctor practices, medical professional misconduct, and medical malpractice.
Read More About Texas Nurses Settle Lawsuit After Turning In Doctor For Improper Treat...