Complications in an interventional suite spur lawsuit against medical center

Complications in an interventional suite have put two radiologists in the spotlight.

Susan O’Horo, MD, an interventional radiologist, claims to have witnessed a number of interventional procedures go awry at the hands of another interventionalist, Mikhail Higgins, MD, in 2018 and 2019. O’horo, who was serving as the Director of Quality and Safety of the interventional radiology program at Boston Medical Center during that time, told Boston 25 News that her colleague had issues with procedures “regardless of whether things were simple or complicated.” 

These issues included perforating part of a patient’s small intestine, missing areas of internal bleeding, placing a catheter instead of a drain in one patient and breaking off a lidocaine needle in another, among other incidents, according to O’Horo.  

The doctor raised her concerns with Boston Medical Center (BMC), but they were reportedly not well received. O’Horo then filed complaints with two state agencies about Higgins and the medical center itself in 2019. A 2020 investigation from the Massachusetts Department of Health (DPH) concluded that BMC responded appropriately to O'Horo's complaints by placing Dr. Higgins on probation following the incidents.

All of this led O’Horo to filing a lawsuit recently, not against Higgins, but against BMC, alleging that the hospital dismissed her claims and retaliated against her. She says that the hospital reduced her responsibilities after she reported concerns about Higgins’ performance.  

“Instead of listening to her and following up on the issues she raised, BMC retaliated against her,” O’Horo’s attorney, Lisa Arrowood, told a Boston 25 News investigative reporter. 

Speaking on the lawsuit against BMC, a spokesperson for the hospital released a statement saying BMC “does not tolerate any kind of discrimination or retaliation against an employee or medical staff member who raises a concern.”   

O’Horo was not the only provider to raise concerns about Higgins. According to deposition transcripts, Higgins was known by some as the “Boston Butcher” for his mistakes in the IR suite. 

There is currently an ongoing investigation into other reported mistakes that occurred with three of Higgins’ patients in 2018 and 2019.  

Higgins denies the allegations that he provided inferior care. He remains in good standing and continues to practice in the meantime. 

O’Horo has since left the medical center, but still practices interventional radiology elsewhere.