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Supreme Court of Missouri Issues First-Of-Its-Kind Ruling Overturning a $2.3 Million Negligent Credentialing Verdict

ABSTRACT: In Thomas E. Tharp, et al. v. St. Luke's Surgicenter – Lee's Summit, LLC, the Supreme Court of Missouri overturned a $2.3 million jury verdict in favor of a patient and his wife against a hospital, because there was no proof the hospital negligently credentialed a surgeon.

ALERT 12.10.2019:

The Supreme Court has overturned and granted a new trial in this case. Read our blog post on this development here.

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ALERT 06.12.2019:
The Supreme Court has taken the unusual step of granting rehearing in this case. We will keep you apprised of future developments. 

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ORIGINAL POST 03.28.2019:

In Thomas E. Tharp, et al. v. St. Luke's Surgicenter – Lee's Summit, LLC, the Supreme Court of Missouri overturned a $2.3 million jury verdict in favor of a patient and his wife against a hospital, because there was no proof the hospital negligently granted staff privileges to a surgeon. The opinion is the first from the Supreme Court of Missouri to address the requirements of a negligent credentialing claim. 

The plaintiff alleged injuries stemming from a surgical procedure to remove his gallbladder. The plaintiff and his wife settled their claims with the surgeon, but went to trial against the hospital alleging it negligently granted privileges to the surgeon. At trial, plaintiffs presented evidence that the surgeon failed to disclose to the hospital all prior malpractice suits.

The hospital filed a motion for directed verdict at the close of all evidence on two grounds: (1) There was insufficient evidence to establish it had been negligent; and (2) the act of granting privileges to the surgeon was not the proximate cause of the injury. The trial court denied this motion, and the jury returned a verdict in favor of the plaintiffs. The trial court also overruled the hospital’s post trial motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict, asserting the same arguments set forth above.

In a 6-1 decision, the Supreme Court held that a breach of the hospital’s bylaws (requiring the surgeon to report all prior malpractice suits) was not enough to support a negligent credentialing claim, and found no evidence that the grant of staff privileges to the surgeon was the proximate cause of the injury.

Addressing the nature of the relationship between a modern healthcare facility and its medical staff, the Court observed that “Physicians working under staff privileges are typically independent contractors, not hospital employees,” and that “staff privileges allow physicians to utilize a healthcare facility to admit and treat patients as independent care providers rather than as employees of the facility.” Under appropriate circumstances, a negligent credentialing claim can provide an avenue for potential liability against a hospital for injury caused by an independent contractor. The focus is whether the hospital gathered pertinent information to make a reasonable decision as to whether to grant privileges. The proper inquiry is whether the physician was competent and possessed the necessary knowledge, skill and experience to perform his job without creating unreasonable risk of injury to others.     

One of the requirements in the hospital’s bylaws was full disclosure of all prior malpractice suits, and the failure to do so was grounds to automatically remove a physician from staff privilege consideration. The evidence at trial showed the surgeon failed to list on his application each suit he had defended over his career, but there was no evidence that addressed the surgeon’s qualifications to perform surgery. The plaintiff’s own expert admitted there was no “magical number” of malpractice suits that shows a surgeon is unqualified. Further, plaintiff’s expert cited a statistical study showing physician malpractice claim rates vary widely depending, in large part, on the medical specialty involved. “Even acts of repeated negligence do not support a finding a surgeon is incompetent when there is no evidence that shows a surgeon generally lacks a professional ability.” Thus, the Court found the plaintiffs failed to make a submissible case of negligent credentialing. 

The Court also found the plaintiffs failed to prove the credentialing of the surgeon was the proximate cause of the injury. It was not enough to prove that but for the credentialing, the surgeon could not have performed the surgery that produced the injury. Rather, the plaintiffs needed to prove the injury was the natural and probable consequence of the surgeon’s incompetence. “Even a supremely qualified, competent, and careful physician may nevertheless injure a patient through an isolated negligent act.” Because plaintiffs failed to show the surgeon was incompetent, they could not prove the injury was the result of the surgeon’s incompetence and thus failed to make a submissible case.    

In this first ruling of its kind in Missouri, the Missouri Supreme Court has provided guidance to Missouri lower courts and practitioners prosecuting or defending a negligent credentialing claim. These claims are difficult to prove, as they require proof beyond that which is required to support a malpractice claim against a physician. Absent credible evidence of a physician’s incompetence generally, and the negligent failure of a hospital to discover the incompetence and act accordingly, courts should dispose of these claims via dispositive motion.     

The opinion did not address whether the negligent credentialing theory conflicts with Mo.Rev.Stat. § 538.210.4, which provides, in part, that “[n]o health care provider whose liability is limited by the provisions of this chapter shall be liable to any plaintiff based on the actions or omissions of any other entity or individual who is not an employee of such health care provider . . . .” Negligent credentialing liability necessarily depends on the negligent act or omission of a non-employee physician. In the event this argument is raised, it is unclear how the Court would address the apparent conflict of law.