Bronson Battle Creek Hospital Knowingly Hired Doctor With History of Medical Fraud and Malpractice
Dr. Danial Castro, an otolaryngologist (ear, nose, & throat), practiced The Medical Center of Southeastern Oklahoma (MCSO) from 2005 to 2010, where he would perform functional endoscopic sinus surgeries on children and the hospital happily billed for them. In 2012, an action was brought against Dr. Castro and MCSO for performing unnecessary surgeries and then billing Medicaid, defrauding the government and taxpayers. In April 2014, the MCSO agreed to pay back $1,065,000 to the United States and $435,000.00 to the State of Oklahoma to resolve allegations.
In February 2015, despite his history of performing unnecessary surgeries on patients and committing medical fraud, Bronson Battle Creek Hospital hired him as an otolaryngologist. At Bronson, Dr. Castro treated ear, nose and throat patients, performing hundreds of surgical procedures and Bronson happily billed for them. On February 1, 2022, a federal grand jury indicted Dr. Castro on more than 30 counts of healthcare fraud, for performing surgically unnecessary procedures on patients.
About Dr. Castro’s Case
As Dr. Castro faces the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison, dozens of his patients are left to deal with the consequences of his malpractice. While it seems very apparent that Dr. Castro pursued profits over patient care, it also seems Bronson did the same. Every hospital is responsible for properly screening and credentialing physicians before giving them privileges to practice at their facilities. Even after they are credentialed, the hospital has a continuing duty to monitor the physician.
Here, it is unclear how Bronson found Dr. Castro qualified and fit to treat its patients. It is even more unclear how, right under its own nose with all that it knew about him and his history of fraud, he was able to get right back to falsely diagnosing patients, performing unnecessary, harmful surgeries, and billing insurers, including Medicare, for it. There seems to be no more fitting answer than Bronson, like Dr. Castro, and MCSO before it, place the value of profits over the value of patient care.
Patients of Dr. Castro who were injured by his malpractice may be able to also bring claims against Bronson. Among those claims are that Bronson negligently credentialed Dr. Castro, and negligently monitored him and maintained his credentialing. When Bronson gave Dr. Castro privileges to practice medicine at its hospital, it represented to its patients they would be getting the highest level of care. Bronson failed its patients and must be held accountable.
Were You a Patient of Dr. Daniel Castro? Contact Our Firm Today
While Dr. Castro faces criminal action, his patients may have civil claims against him and and Bronson. Our firm is currently accepting clients who have undergone medical procedures by Dr. Castro. Because of important deadlines related to malpractice claims, if you or a family member underwent a medical procedure with Dr. Castro, we urge you to contact us today so that we can help you investigate your case to see if you may qualify to pursue justice and compensation.
