Michigan doctor claims he was fired for reporting unnecessary pacemaker surgeries

A cardiologist in Michigan is suing his former employer, claiming he was terminated after blowing the whistle about a colleague performing unnecessary surgeries. 

According to a report from FOX 17, Daniel West, MD, has been practicing medicine for more than three decades. He sounded the alarm to Trinity Health Muskegon over surgical procedures at the hospital, where another doctor was performing surgeries on patients who didn’t need them.

West’s attorneys said that after he brought his report to leadership at Trinity Health in June 2024, they suspended him in retaliation. The report allegedly showed the accused physician had been misinterpreting test results for years to justify performing expensive, invasive procedures.

Those procedures, West said, involved implanting a specific brand of pacemaker. 

“Three of the doctors from the practice then went to all of those patient files to see if in their professional opinion they agreed that a device implant would have been warranted. It was discovered that it was not. There was a pattern that was discovered, that the doctor was altering those results in order to justify implanting these devices,” West’s attorney told FOX 17.

In his lawsuit, West said his employer demanded he destroy his report, claiming it violated patient privacy laws. He reluctantly complied to return to work in August 2024. Two months later, he was fired and permanently removed from his position at Trinity Health. 

West is suing for wrongful termination and is seeking protection under the Michigan's Whistleblowers' Protection Act. In a statement to FOX 17, Trinity Health declined to comment on West’s allegations.

The full story is available at the link below.