Hospital Agrees to Pay Patients $7.4 Million

By Daniel Hawn

Published on May 14, 2007

The settlement was approved last week by State District Judge Byron Hebert. The lawsuit involves 305 former patients at Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center in Lafayette. The suit claims cardiologist Mehmood M. Patel performed unnecessary procedures on the plaintiffs, including angiograms, angioplasties and stent placements.

According to attorney James Ryan, the patients are still pursuing damages against Patel and Lafayette General Medical Center, where Patel also practiced.

Approximately half of the $7.4 million settlement will go toward attorney fees, litigation expenses, and administrative costs. The other half will be shared among the patients, with each receiving an average of $12,000.

In a pending federal case, Patel faces 94 criminal counts for allegedly billing Medicaid, Medicare, and insurance companies more than $2 million for unnecessary procedures. Prosecutors in the case claim that some of the procedures resulted in serious injuries and complications. If found guilty, Patel could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.

The $7.4 million settlement is the second agreed to by Our Lady of Lourdes for claims against Patel. Last year, the hospital paid $3.8 million to the U.S. Justice Department in a lawsuit accusing the medical center of failing to respond to complaints made by one of Patel's colleagues.

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