Suit: Northwestern Hospital Physician Posted Pics Of Intoxicated ER Patient Online
(CBS) -- A woman claims Northwestern Memorial turned a blind eye toward the misconduct of a former doctor.
CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot has her story.
A new lawsuit says in June 2013 Dr. Vinaya Puppala took pictures of Elena Chernyakova while she was receiving emergency care. In one photograph, she covers her head, hiding from him.
"It was the worst experience of my life," she says.
Chernyakova was being treated for intoxication in the ER. She says she knew Puppala through friends. Her lawsuit claims this and other photos were put on social media by Puppala, with comments like: "...#bottle #service #gone #bad."
"I felt extremely betrayed because a hospital is one place where any patient should feel safe," she says.
The aspiring actress filed a lawsuit claiming Puppala had a documented history of disturbing behavior towards patients, before her incident.
The lawsuit claims the doctor:
-came to work smelling of alcohol
-walked in on patients changing clothes
-was accused by other physicians of treating patients "like goats"
-created fake business cards to misrepresent his position
"Northwestern should be upfront about what is going on and especially if they did not do anything wrong, they should not have anything to hide," Chernyakova says.
The hospital obtained a protective order to have Dr. Puppala's fellowship documents sealed. The plaintiff's attorney, Joel Brodsky, says the public should be able to see what's in those documents.
Northwestern issued a statement that saying it has a "zero tolerance" toward disclosing private health information.
"Our first priority is to address the health needs of the patients we are privileged to serve—and to do so within an environment of care that protects and upholds their right to privacy," the statement said. "The allegations detailed in this complaint indicate this person was acting entirely on his own and had no treatment relationship with the plaintiff. Any invasion of privacy at the hands of our trusted health personnel or extended care team of training fellows is unacceptable and not indicative of the Patients' First culture of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, which has zero tolerance for exploitation of private health information, including photography."
The hospital statement does not say why officials wanted the documents sealed. While Puppala is no longer at Northwestern Memorial, he did receive his fellowship certification. He's now working in Atlanta.
His lawyers had no comment on the ongoing litigation but said he will vindicate himself against the allegations in court.
