Frigo v. Silver Cross Hosp.

876 N.E.2d 697

Jean FRIGO, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. SILVER CROSS HOSPITAL AND MEDICAL CENTER, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 1-05-1240.

Appellate Court of Illinois, First District, Fourth Division.

Modified Opinion September 20, 2007.

Querrey & Harrow, Ltd. (David E. Neumeister, Megan A. Byrnes, of counsel), Lord Bissell & Brook (Hugh C. Griffin, Elsa Y. Trujillo, of counsel), Chicago, for Defendant-Appellant.

Michael W. Rathsack (James E. Pancratz, Christopher T. Hurley, Mark R. McKenna, Thomas A. Agoglia, Michael W. Rathsack, of counsel), Chicago, for Plaintiff-Appellee.

Presiding Justice NEVILLE delivered the modified opinion of the court:

Defendant, Silver Cross Hospital and Medical Center (Silver Cross), appeals from a jury verdict awarding plaintiff, Jean Frigo, $7,775,668.02 in damages. The jury verdict resulted from a negligent credentialing count based upon Silver Cross granting Dr. Paul Kirchner category II surgical credentials, which authorized the doctor to operate on Frigo's foot and culminated in her foot being amputated. On appeal, Silver Cross presents the following issues for review: (1) whether Frigo's action was barred by the statute of limitation because the negligent credentialing claim raised in the first amended complaint did not relate back to the allegations in the original complaint; (2) whether the negligent credentialing claim was barred by sections 8-2101 and 8-2102 of the Code of Civil Procedure, commonly known as the Medical Studies Act (735 ILCS 5/8-2101, 8-2102 (West 2000)); (3) whether the negligent credentialing claim was barred by the Hospital Licensing Act (210 ILCS 85/10.2 (West 2000)); (4) whether Frigo failed to prove that Silver Cross was negligent when it granted Dr. Kirchner category II surgical privileges; and (5) whether the trial court denied Silver Cross a fair trial when it used Illinois Pattern Jury Instructions, Civil, No. 30.23 (2006) (hereinafter IPI Civil (2006)) to instruct the jury. We affirm and hold that negligent credentialing is a cause of action that is a progeny of hospital or institutional negligence, which is a cause of action that was first recognized by our supreme court in Darling v. Charleston Community Memorial Hospital, 33 Ill.2d 326, 331, 211 N.E.2d 253 (1965).

BACKGROUND

On October 6, 2000, Frigo brought a medical malpractice suit against Dr. Kirchner and Silver Cross, and in her original complaint she made allegations of negligence based upon her October 8, 1998, foot surgery. With respect to Dr. Kirchner, Frigo alleged that he should not have undertaken the elective bunion surgery until the ulcer in that area was allowed to heal. With respect to Silver Cross, she alleged both that Dr. Kirchner was its agent and that Silver Cross improperly managed and maintained the hospital. Through discovery, Frigo learned that Silver Cross gave Dr. Kirchner category II surgical privileges even though he did not meet the hospital's requirements for category II privileges. On April 25, 2003, Frigo filed a first amended complaint and included the allegation that Silver Cross was negligent in awarding Dr. Kirchner category II surgical credentials even though he had not completed a 12-month podiatric surgical residency and was not board certified as required by Silver Cross's bylaws and by the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Health Care Organizations' (JCAHO) standards. Frigo further alleged that Silver Cross should not have allowed Dr. Kirchner to care for her and that she would not have been injured if the hospital had not violated its duty.

The Trial

Before the trial, Dr. Kirchner settled with Frigo for $900,000. Frigo proceeded to trial against Silver Cross. Below is a summary of the testimony presented at trial that is relevant to this appeal.

Frigo's Case

Paul Pawlak

Paul Pawlak, Silver Cross's president and chief executive officer, testified that the hospital's board of directors (Board) had the final say in issuing credentials to physicians and that the duty was nondelegable. Pawlak testified that the hospital is governed in part by the medical staff's bylaws, which in turn must be approved by the Board. A physician's application is reviewed by the credentials committee, which forwards its recommendation to the medical staff executive committee, which in turn makes its recommendation to the Board. Pawlak testified that the Board does not usually obtain the physician's file but instead relies on the medical staff.

Pawlak testified that Silver Cross is accredited by the JCAHO. The JCAHO's standards provide for the betterment of healthcare, and they apply to this hospital. Silver Cross, as part of the accreditation process, agrees to abide by the JCAHO standards. The JCAHO standards on credentialing require the hospital Board to take into account the medical staff's recommendations and the hospital's bylaws. The JCAHO's section MS 5.10 provides:

"The governing body appoints and reappoints to the Medical Staff and grants initial, renewed or revised clinical privileges based on the Medical Staff's recommendations in accordance with the Bylaws, Rules and Regulations and Policy of the Medical Staff and of the hospital."

Pawlak testified that the Board issues credentials in conjunction with the medical staff and has the power to reject its recommendations. The Board bases its issuance of privileges on the medical staff's recommendations and on the bylaws and regulations. The JCAHO mandates that the hospital must follow its bylaws; it cannot follow only its staff's recommendations. Pawlak also testified that the Board at Silver Cross follows the credentialing committee's recommendation if it is positive. However, it does not independently investigate credentials. Pawlak testified that the JCAHO requires that the Board make an independent examination separate from the staff.

Pawlak further testified that the hospital's rules have the same force as its bylaws. The rules and regulations listed the requirements for podiatrists seeking privileges in 1993 (the year after Dr. Kirchner first applied). Before 1993, applicants had to complete an approved surgical residency. For more advanced category II privileges, the hospital's rules required that the applicant be licensed and have completed a 12-month podiatric surgical residency, be accepted and approved by the American Board of Podiatric Surgery (board certification), and submit documentation of prior performance of procedures including at least 30 operative reports.

Specifically, the 1992 rules provided:

"This category assumes the practitioner has had additional post-graduate surgical training: e.g. completion of approved surgical residency or has become Board Certified by the American Board of Podiatric Surgery, or Board Eligible by the American Board of Podiatric Surgery, and in this instance must submit documentary proof of having performed the surgical procedures to the satisfaction of the Department of Surgery."

The 1993 rules provided:

"Any Illinois licensed podiatrist who has completed a 12 month podiatric surgical residency program accepted by the [American Board of Podiatric Surgery] ABPS and approved by the [Council on Podiatric Medical Education] CPME of the [American Podiatric Medical Association] APMA. In addition, the candidate shall have completed successfully the written eligibility examination. Podiatrists requesting this category must submit documentation of prior performance of requested procedures, including 30 Category II operative reports reflecting procedures performed during the past 12 months."

The rules were amended again before the surgery.

Next, Pawlak testified that Dr. Kirchner did not have a podiatric surgery residency and was not board certified. Pawlak testified that he never reviewed Kirchner's application because the medical staff felt that Dr. Kirchner was qualified for category II privileges through a grandfather clause. Pawlak testified that there was no grandfather clause in the rules. He also stated that grandfathering was reserved for physicians with many, many years of experience and that Kirchner did hot have such experience in 1993. The JCAHO provides that at the discretion of the organization, specific information may differ for the information required for reappointment. Pawlak testified that according to the bylaws and rules, reappointment to the medical staff and continued privileges at Silver Cross are granted only on formal application that occurs every two years. When Kirchner reapplied, he had to submit an application.

Dr. Richard Kusunose

Dr. Richard Kusunose, Frigo's expert podiatrist, testified that he performed 250 procedures a year during his two-year podiatric surgical residency and almost half of those procedures were bunionectomies. He also described the board-certification process, which involves acquiring a certain amount of experience and passing an examination. Dr. Kusunose testified that he reviewed Dr. Kirchner's surgical logs from his primary care residency, which was significantly different from a surgical residency because it was focused on conservative management with very little exposure to foot surgery. Dr. Kusunose testified that Dr. Kirchner's log showed five to six category II procedures related to the foot, and none of them was a procedure done at Silver Cross in 1998. In only one of the procedures did the resident participate more than 50%. Dr. Kusunose stated that Dr. Kirchner had not completed an approved surgical residency in 1992. Dr. Kusunose also stated that Dr. Kirchner did not meet the credentialing requirements for category II privileges in 1993 or 1998. Kirchner needed the podiatric surgical residency and the written exam for board certification.

Dr. Kusunose testified that "grandfathering" is the situation where an applicant who obtained privileges before a change in the prerequisites is not required to satisfy the new requirements "if that's so delineated in the bylaws." Dr. Kusunose reviewed Silver...