By BERNADETTE GIACOMAZZO
There, in the Mercy League Lounge, doctors presented a united front, condemning the accusations as nothing more than the complaints of a soon-to-be-terminated employee who received several disciplinary reprimands during his tenure.
"The allegations that patients are in danger at Mercy Medical Center are simply not true," said Dr. Robert Curran, an internist and the hospital's vice president of communications. "Mercy Medical Center has provided safe, quality care for thousands of patients. We provide the highest standard of care in a compassionate environment."
The press conference came on the heels of a state Health Department investigation into the deaths of four patients. The deaths, according to surgeon Dr. Anthony Colantonio, were the direct result of mistakes made by a physician's assistant, Joseph Sharkey.
In several published reports, Colantonio claimed that he complained about Sharkey to several health and law-enforcement agencies. In his complaint to the Office of Professional Medical Conduct, Colantonio said, he described Sharkey as practicing "with little or no supervision," exercising "poor judgment" and having "substandard technical skills."
As a result of Colantonio's claims, the joint commission, a state authority, is reviewing operations at the hospital.
The state Department of Health has confirmed that a woman died at the hospital after undergoing an unnecessary double mastectomy after being wrongly diagnosed with breast cancer. The health department is also reviewing the deaths of three other patients, including that of a 19-year-old woman in October. According to published reports, she died after Sharkey punctured her lung while trying to put a central venous catheter in her chest, and then improperly placed a chest tube, which prevented the lung from re-expanding.
"In my opinion, those patients were assaulted," Colantonio said in a statement.
The doctors who took part in the press conference said they believe Sharkey is an exemplary physician's assistant, beleaguered by false accusations by Colantonio, who, they say, is exploiting the public's lack of understanding of what, precisely, a physician's assistant's job entails and the extent of a P.A.'s training.
"[Colantonio] has taken advantage of public misinformation," said Dr. Daniel Murphy, who works in the hospital's emergency room. "He is single-handedly responsible for ... creating an atmosphere of fear in this hospital."
According to state law, a physician's assistant may perform medical procedures only under the supervision of a doctor - though the doctor does not have to be present. Mercy spokesman Mel Granick confirmed that the hospital adheres to that policy, stating that no physician's assistant at Mercy does work beyond the scope of his or her purview. "We closely supervise our P.A.'s," Granick said. "They do no work outside the scope of their authority. They perform only the duties assigned to them."
"Our profession is dedicated to working with doctors," said John Halliwell of the New York State Society of Physician's Assistants. "We do not practice independently."
Physician's assistants require bachelor's degrees and two years of intensive classroom and clinical medical training. They must pass a national certifying exam.
At the press conference, Murphy stated that Colantonio's motives are not as noble as they seem. "This is a calculated effort made by a doctor who tries to portray himself as a hero, but is instead seeking retaliation," Murphy said. "We will not be silent and allow this hospital to suffer the actions of a single individual whose agenda has nothing to do with medicine and everything to do with inflicting pain."
Murphy added that, despite published reports to the contrary, Colantonio has a long history of disciplinary problems, and that his practicing privileges at other hospitals - namely Winthrop University Medical Center - are limited or have been revoked.
However, John Broder, Winthrop's vice president of external affairs and development, said, "Dr. Colantonio is, indeed, a surgeon at Winthrop Hospital, and he is a physician in good standing here."
Colantonio described the Valentine's Day press conference as not a display of solidarity, but as further evidence of a cover-up at Mercy. "That is evidence of administrative dysfunction in the hospital," he said in a statement. "That is a hospital that is not properly reviewing their policies and reviewing their procedures."
No one at Mercy has offered specifics about the nature of past disciplinary actions taken against Colantonio, or any other misconduct by the doctor at Mercy or elsewhere.
Granick has stated that, while he does not speak for the executive committee of medical staff who held the press conference, "I can, unequivocally, state that it has been recommended by this executive committee to revoke Colantonio's privileges at Mercy Medical Center." Granick declined to elaborate further on the reasons for the vote, except to state that it came "as a result of Dr. Colantonio's disruptive behavior."
In addition, the hospital's Web site has published an official statement about the allegations made by Dr. Colantonio. "The elected Officers and Executive Committee of the Medical Staff at Mercy Medical Center are outraged over the unwarranted attention the news media have given to a stream of baseless accusations about the quality of care at our hospital," begins the statement, which confirms the recommendation of the executive committee to terminate Colantonio.
Staff members who gathered at the press conference agreed, saying that patient care is the hospital's top priority, and that they are confident that an investigation will determine that Colantonio's allegations are false. "I work in a Mercy Medical Center that believes in providing ... exceptional service with dignity and respect for all," said Dr. Jan Koenig, an orthopedic surgeon. "Everyone is dedicated to patient care and safety."
Comments about this story? BGiacomazzo@liherald.com or 516-569-4000 x240.
