Ira Asher, MD, an ophthalmologist with privileges at South County Hospital in Wakefield and Kent Hospital in Warwick, was reprimanded for operating on the wrong eye in late 2009. According to the news report, Dr. Asher injected an anesthetic into the wrong eye. A nurse discovered the error before the surgery began, and Dr. Asher performed surgery on the correct eye. The patient was discharged that same day.
The board also issued a reprimand to Joseph Latina, MD, a general surgeon who practices at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence and St. Joseph Hospital in North Providence. Dr. Latina lacerated a blood vessel during a gall bladder operation, which the board constituted as failure to follow proper procedures and unprofessional conduct. Dr. Latina has agreed to undergo education in surgical technique.
The board has also accused a retired internist, Pasquale Mastrostefano, MD, of mishandling patient records. According to the board, Dr. Mastrostefano allegedly destroyed records of patients who failed to respond to his phone calls and newspaper advertisements after two weeks.
Read the news report about the Rhode Island physicians reprimanded by the Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline.
Read other coverage about patient safety:
– Hand-Washing Rule Removed from Nevada Patient Safety Bill
– Study: One-Third of Patients Experience Adverse Events During Hospital Stay
– Lawmakers Want Investigation Into All Ohio VA Facilities Following New Hepatitis B Cases
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