title: The drug thief at Georgetown University Medical Center: anatomy of a $2 billion class-action lawsuit.
abstract: Separate lawsuits filed on behalf of plaintiff patients at Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, have been consolidated under a District of Columbia judge who is scheduled to rule soon on whether to certify them as a class-action suit against the medical center. The case involves a drug-abusing worker in the interventional radiology unit at Georgetown University Hospital who may have exposed up to 500 patients to HIV, hepatitis, and other viruses during his period of employment from September 8, 1999 to February 2, 2000. The lawsuits allege that the med center failed to protect patients by not adopting American Hospital Association guidelines that call for universal pre-employment drug screening. The hospital currently is in the final stages of being sold to Medstar Health, Columbia, MD, which may eventually change the drug-screening policy. The episode not only has been embarrassing for the prestigious medical center, but also has focused attention on the potential consequences for hospitals that do not screen employees for drug use.
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000458:organization & administration; D004219:District of Columbia; D004335:Drug and Narcotic Control / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000635:transmission; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000635:transmission; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D016365:Liability, Legal; D016134:Organizational Policy; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D013800:Theft / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*