- July 8, 2019
- Medical Malpractice
- Personal Injury
A doctor based in the Detroit area falsely diagnosed hundreds of patients, with the intent of increasing his salary, bonuses, and billings.Several victims of Dr. Yasser Awaad’s fraudulent medical practices brought civil action against him to compensate for the suffering they faced as a result of his actions, as well as the oversight of Oakwood Healthcare in Dearborn, MI.
In a recent case (the first case related to this scheme to go to trial) a patient was awarded over $3 million. The patient was inaccurately diagnosed with epilepsy in 2003, at the age of nine years old. In 2007, she was tested for epilepsy by another doctor, who concluded that she was not actually epileptic. The victim is now 26 years of age, and received compensation for non-economic damages totaling $2.8 million, and additional compensation for the financial effects of the misdiagnosis. During the four years between Awaad’s misdiagnosis and the victim’s visit with the second doctor, she regularly took medication to treat her supposed epilepsy. She was also “withdrawn as a child and teased by other kids because the epilepsy label limited her physical activities at school,” reported The Detroit News.
The trial focused not only on the doctor’s behavior, but the inaction of the health center where he was employed. Oakwood Healthcare, which is now owned by Beaumont Health, was found negligent in their management of Awaad’s practice. Before his departure from Oakwood Healthcare in 2007, Awaad was the subject of several complaints that were not investigated by the organization. Some of the complaints came from Dr. Susan Youngs, who criticized Awaad’s frequent epilepsy diagnoses and administration of EEG tests. Through ordering these tests and other unnecessary medical procedures, Awaad, “qualified for bonuses exceeding $200,000 if certain billing targets were met,” in addition to the almost-double salary increase he incurred during his time at Oakwood Healthcare.
Misdiagnoses and other examples of medical malpractice can cause detrimental health effects and emotional anguish to victims. Contact Goodman Acker P.C. if you or a loved one suffered from the actions of a negligent doctor.
Send us a message or call (248) 286-8100 to schedule a free case evaluation.