Health Plan of Nevada Credentialing Committee Member Testifies Before Hepatitis C Outbreak He Knew Dr. Desai Claimed To Be Fastest Colonoscopist In Town

LAS VEGAS, Feb. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Day 7 of Las Vegas trial for role of Health Plan of Nevada in largest outbreak of hepatitis C in U.S. history, Dr. Richard Colquitt, Health Plan of Nevada credentialing committee member, responsible for credentialing and recredentialing doctors and surgery centers, confirms under oath a reasonable and responsible HMO should not keep a provider in its network that is putting its members at risk or that is performing more procedures than are safe. During a video statement of Dr. Colquitt played during his testimony, he confirmed before the hepatitis C outbreak in 2005, it was common knowledge that Dr. Desai was very proud of the fact that he claimed to be the fastest colonoscopist in town.

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Attorney Robert Eglet questioned Dr. Colquitt about what a reasonable and responsible HMO should do in protecting the health and safety of its insured members. Dr. Colquitt agreed to all 12 points of what Eglet called the 12 commandments in protecting its insured members in its primary role of providing quality doctors, to not credential a provider known to be unsafe, unsafely perform medical procedures, unsafely treat patients, cut costs in a manner that jeopardizes its members or perform more patient procedures per day that can be done safely.

Eglet also inquired about 128 cases of Dr. Desai identified by the Southern Nevada Health District of which 90% were up coded, HPNs lawyer who sat on the credentialing committee as a non-voting member who was also legal counsel for Dr. Desai a fact not disclosed to the members, and malpractice claims from the Nevada Medical Board website about Dr. Desai.

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SOURCE SCM