Cardiologist sues health system that called him an ‘immediate threat to the public’
A cardiologist based out of Springfield, Missouri, has filed a lawsuit against the CoxHealth health system and Ferrell-Duncan Clinic, a wholly owned subsidiary of CoxHealth, after he says he was wrongfully terminated and repeatedly defamed.
According to a detailed report from the Springfield Citizen, interventional cardiologist Keesag Baron, MD, filed the lawsuit on April 17. Baron has practiced in Springfield for many years, working for both CoxHealth and Ferrell-Duncan Clinic. He opened his own practice, Baron Cardiology Group, in 2008, but remained a part of CoxHealth.
According to Baron’s lawsuit, he was often pressured to refer more of his own patients to CoxHealth facilities. He did refer some patients there when needed, but he referred patients to other providers as well.
In Baron’s mind, the unrest related to these referrals ultimately resulted in his termination. He also claims that CoxHealth and Ferrell-Duncan Clinic told the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and other entities Baron had “poor judgement,” falsified medical records and represented an “immediate threat to the public.”
CoxHealth did issue a statement about Baron’s lawsuit, confirming he was no longer an employee.
“CoxHealth is committed to integrity and ethics in all of our business practices and in our relationships with physicians,” according to the statement. “We followed appropriate procedures in all reviews involving Dr. Baron, and we stand by all decisions made. We are unable to comment further on this situation as it is a matter in litigation.”
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Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.