Here are five things to know about the case:
1. On Oct. 22, a jury determined that Michelle Sprengelmeyer, MD, was responsible for the death of Steve Schwarz after a two-week trial.
2. Heather Barrett, Mr. Schwarz’s daughter, was awarded $1.65 million by the jury.
3. Jurors found that Dr. Sprengelmeyer failed to properly treat an infection after Mr. Schwarz underwent surgery to insert supportive hardware in his spine at Iowa City-based University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics in March 2020. He was then discharged for recovery at Cedar Manor, a nursing home where Dr. Sprengelmeyer was his treating physician.
4. The lawsuit claims Dr. Sprengelmeyer did not follow the University of Iowa Hospitals’ orders to continue antibiotics for an MRSA infection Mr. Schwarz had contracted, and the infection worsened. He was later sent to hospice care, where he died in July.
5. Anthony Bribriesco, Ms. Barrett’s attorney, said that research indicates transitions in care between hospitals and nursing homes are a preventable source of medication errors.
