A 68-year-old surgeon filed a lawsuit against Portsmouth (N.H.) Regional Hospital, its parent company, Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare, and an affiliated medical group, claiming he was forced out of his job because of his age and subsequently defamed by a letter sent without his knowledge to colleagues claiming he retired, according to the Bangor Daily News.
Here are four things to know:
1. Peter Carter, MD, filed a 10-count lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of New Hampshire against Portsmouth-based Appledore Medical Group, the hospital and two executives, and HCA, among others. The lawsuit alleges the organizations engaged in breach of contract, interference with contractual relations, two counts of age discrimination and defamation, among other crimes.
2. According to the 17-page lawsuit, Dr. Carter was employed by Appledore Medical Group, an affiliate of Portsmouth Regional, from November 2010 through March 2017. In January 2017, he said he noticed a decline in referrals and was informed "there was a preference in making referrals to female surgeons over male surgeons," and that "younger doctors were able to get more referrals," the report states.
3. Dr. Carter claims that in February 2017 officials informed him his position had been eliminated "due to a lack of referral base" and that he could either say he was retiring at the end of 2017 or accept a 90-day notice for his job to end.
4. Dr. Carter claims in the lawsuit he began to suffer physically and was briefly hospitalized. During that time, he alleges Appledore Medical Group sent a letter to his colleagues without his consent that claimed to be from him.
"The purpose of the letter was to tell all providers that [Dr. Carter] had retired. Plaintiff had not and did not retire," the lawsuit states.
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