Opinion ID: 585038
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Failure to Suspend Privileges

Text: 54 Marrese points out that the defendants took no action to prevent or restrict him from performing surgery until the conclusion of the internal review of the Fair Hearing in September 1983 and maintains that this tends to negate the defendants' claim that they were motivated by their concern for patient welfare. Summary suspension of a physician or restrictions on his privileges are options under the Medical Staff By-Laws, but the MSEC's decision to exercise that option is discretionary and requires medical judgment. We would effectively abrogate that discretion if a failure to take immediate action alone was evidence of malice since hospital medical staffs would summarily suspend a physician or restrict his privileges before a Fair Hearing just to bolster its contention that it acted in good faith. The reasons why the MSEC did not take immediate action calls for significant speculation. In fact, the sparse evidence in the record pertaining to why no restrictions were placed on Marrese suggests that the defendants were making every effort to be fair to Marrese. The decision to suspend a second opinion requirement until after Marrese had met with the audit subcommittee, for example, indicates an effort to allow Marrese an opportunity to explain his surgical practices and serves to negate any inference that the defendants were out to get Marrese apart from any concern for patient welfare.