Maryland doctor falsified medical records, wrongly inserted stents in patients, lawsuit states

A man in Baltimore County, Md., recently won a medical malpractice lawsuit against a cardiologist who implanted unnecessary stents into the man’s arteries.

Dr. Mark Midei wrongly inserted three stents in Glenn Weinberg in 2006, The Baltimore Sun reported. Weinberg said Midei led him to believe he had severe coronary artery disease, a diagnosis that led to expensive medical expenses and loss of wages, the source said.

Weinberg was a partner of Cordish Co., a Baltimore real estate firm at the time of his misdiagnosis. In his lawsuit against Midei, Weinberg alleged the doctor cost him at least $50 million in lost work.

“As a result of Dr. Midei’s intentional misrepresentations … Mr. Weinberg significantly reduced his role and responsibility at the Cordish Company, forfeiting ownership in many Cordish Company projects and suffering tremendous economic loss,” the lawsuit stated.

Weinberg was seeking $50 million in compensatory damages and $100 million in punitive damages, The Baltimore Sun reported.

Midei falsified medical records
A jury found Midei guilty of medical malpractice, the Baltimore News Journal reported Oct. 24. The source also reported Midei lost his medical license in Maryland following a federal investigation into his use of stents – small mesh tubes used to keep compromised arteries open. Each stent costs about $10,000 to insert. The state physicians board determined Midei was falsifying medical records to justify placing stents in patients.

Midei also faces hundreds of medical malpractice lawsuits filed by patients who, like Weinberg, said the doctor placed unnecessary stents in them, according to The Baltimore Sun.

Details of Weinberg’s lawsuit
St. Joseph Medical Center was named as a co-defendant in Weinberg’s medical malpractice lawsuit. The suit said the hospital failed in its oversight responsibilities to ensure Midei was offering safe and proper medical care to its patients. Weinberg originally visited St. Joseph in November 2006 to receive clearance for hernia surgery, but was referred to Midei after tests showed he could have heart abnormalities, the Sun reported. Midei determined Weinberg needed three stents because two of his arteries were 95 percent blocked and another was 90 percent closed. However, in reality, Weinberg’s arteries were completely fine, according to the lawsuit.

“In the winter and spring of 2010, various news media reports revealed that hundreds of Dr. Midei’s stent patients had been notified by St. Joseph Medical Center that stents they had received may have been unnecessary,” Weinberg’s lawsuit stated. “Following these reports, in early summer 2010, Mr. Weinberg’s investigation revealed that the stents he had received were unnecessary and not medically indicated.”