woman after she died following a procedure at Laser Spine's
Philadelphia facility. The family claimed the 50-year-old woman
received 6 times more Dilaudid (hydromorphone) than she should
have and was prematurely discharged from the facility.
There were hints of financial trouble last year when Laser Spine
closed 3 of its 7 facilities: those in Oklahoma City, Philadelphia and
Cleveland. Still, no one saw the 4 remaining facilities closing so soon,
especially because patients were still receiving care.
"We were doing our best to help patients and guide potential
patients to a possible solution for their pain," says Dr. Koser. "It just
came as a big surprise."
Unwavering care
Surgery was typically a 6-day process for Laser Spine patients, who'd
stay at a partner-hotel as they underwent 2 days of testing followed by
surgery on Day 3. They rested on the 4
th
and 5
th
days, and drove or
flew home on the 6
th
day. Even as the business was crumbling, one
thing stood strong: excellent patient care.
"I can't say anything negative about the medical care people
received," says the former employee. "We followed up with every
patient after surgery. The patient-centered model was what went
right."
Dr. Koser is still plotting his next career move, but he has no regrets
about his time at Laser Spine. He says he loved being a part of a multi-
disciplinary team that focused on treating "the patient, not the imag-
ing — which a lot of surgeons do nowadays."
When asked to sum up the sudden fall of the Laser Spine Institute,
Dr. Koser offers an answer in a single sentence: "The medicine was
great," he says, "but there were obviously some issues behind the
scenes as far as the business side and finances that didn't work."
OSM
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