As employers and providers of care, healthcare entities contend with wide-ranging challenges resulting in the need for neutral investigations. Oftentimes, investigations are driven by compliance issues. Other times, compliance issues emerge during investigations. In both instances, a healthcare entity’s licensure is at risk.
PII has been retained by some of California’s largest medical systems and teaching hospitals as well as operators of single clinics to conduct neutral investigations of:
- Compliance issues, including allegations of inappropriate patient care, misuse of funds, and medication management.
- Low survey ratings by hospital employees, potentially compromising the hospital’s license.
- Clashes between senior physicians and younger physicians, nurses and other staff.
- Reports of patient sexual assault and other physical abuse by physicians and others.
- Employment issues, including claims of bullying, discrimination, retaliation, and misconduct.
- Class action wage and hour matters.
Representative Healthcare Investigations
Allegations of Patient Abuse at Large Health System
A female patient reported she was physically abused in her hospital room by an unknown man. There were no witnesses. PII was retained to identify the perpetrator. Our investigative process uncovered a concerning compliance issue – once a guest was in the hospital, they could access many areas of the facility, including patient rooms.
Nurses Allegations of Bullying, Discrimination & Misuse of Funds at University Health System
Nurses working in a department of a large university health system filed a complaint alleging bullying, discrimination and misuse of funds by supervisors. A contentious labor management case ensued, including a sick out by the nurses. Our investigative process, involved 15 complainants and 13 respondents. Given the range of issues and players, the findings were varied. In some cases, our investigations uncovered misconduct by supervisors. In other cases, we found complaints were exaggerated or otherwise unfounded.
Patient Allegations of Sexual Assault & Harassment by a Gynecologist at Major Health System
An investigation of a gynecologist at a major healthcare organization was initiated after patients reported he had sexually assaulted them. Our investigation involved interviewing more than 40 patients, augmenting internal investigations conducted by the organization. The investigation uncovered compliance issues as several previous complaints made against the doctor had not been investigated. The doctor was eventually charged and criminally convicted.
Critical Feedback on Hospital Accreditation Survey
We conducted an investigation at a renowned teaching hospital after staff in several departments gave critical feedback on an accreditation survey. Our investigation uncovered compliance issues related to working conditions and patient care, including deviations from accepted protocols for patient care.
Employee Fraud at Mental Health Hospital
A mental health hospital discovered an operations manager and maintenance staff in his department were committing timecard fraud. Video footage showed the employees clocking in, then leaving to moonlight for the manager’s side business. The hospital did not have the resources to conduct a full investigation, so reached out to PII for assistance. Our investigation provided the factual information the hospital needed to take personnel action against the moonlighting employees.
For more information, please contact Keith Rohman at rohman@piila.com or call (213) 482-1780.