Former lawmaker sues CHCC, official over left knee, leg infections
Former representative Ana S. Teregeyo is suing the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp., CHCC chief executive officer Esther L. Muna, and some medical staff officers for alleged negligence that caused her left knee and leg to beoame infected, necessitating five more surgeries.
In a pro se complaint or without a lawyer, Teregeyo asked the Superior Court to hold the defendants liable to pay her in unspecified amount of damages for pain and suffering, mental anguish, and expenses.
Teregeyo said that on Nov. 2, 2013, she was admitted to the Commonwealth Health Center because of a shattered tibia bone.
She was treated by Dr. Grant Walker, a board certified orthopedic surgeon licensed by the CNMI to practice medicine.
Teregeyo was released on Nov. 27, 2013, and told to follow up in the orthopedic clinic of the hospital.
On Dec. 19, 2013, she had an orthopedic clinic follow up appointment, in which she saw Ben Hochhalter, an orthopedic physician’s assistant that the clinic staff referred to as Dr. Hochhalter.
In the subsequent visits, Teregeyo said Hochhalter, acting as CHCC employee, remained unsupervised by an orthopedic surgeon.
Teregeyo said Hochhalter took out the post-operative sutures too early, resulting on the gap in the incision to go untreated.
Hochhalter allegedly failed to obtain x-rays in a time frame consistent with the normal standard of care, even when the plaintiff complained that her leg was starting to angulate and that she felt that a bone was sticking out.
Hochhalter allegedly failed to take an x-ray of her leg for three months while she was complaining that her leg was starting to angulate as an infection continued eating away at the bone below and including her left knee.
Teregeyo said the infection of her knee necessitated six surgeries, including a full artificial replacement of her knee. She was confined to a wheelchair for 18 months.
Teregeyo said she had to be treated on the mainland, USA for 10 months, living in a low rent hotel room, while she received five additional surgeries at the University Medical Center, Las Vegas, Nevada.
And as a consequence, Teregeyo said she had to endure the stresses of having to beg and fight with CHCC’s administered Medical Referral Service for money to live.
Teregeyo said now she continues to suffer with chronic pain and that she can only walk approximately 200 yards and needs the assistance of a cane.
The former lawmaker said the care that she received from defendants fell below the applicable standard of care.
She pointed out she did not consent to the absence of her doctor for her entire post-operative care.
In fact, Teregeyo said, her doctor was due to leave in three weeks, leaving her without an orthopedic surgeon for post-operative care.
She said CHC did further cause reckless harm to her by holding out an orthopedic physician’s assistant (Ben Hochhalter) to be supervised by a competent supervisor well versed in the care of orthopedic surgery.
She said Hochhalter was not supervised by an orthopedic surgeon.
“Defendants’ negligence caused harm to her by not having her orthopedic surgeon doctor available to her post-operative care and thus, through willful malice, her left knee and leg became infected, destroying her knee joint and necessitating five more surgeries on the mainland,” she said.
Teregeo said CHCC, by way of its chief of staff, director of medical affairs and other officers, failed to act in a manner as set forth in the CHCC hospital bylaws, thus denying her orthopedic surgeon doctor the ability to care for her left knee and leg during her post-operative care recovery.
Mrs. Teregeyo did suffer from both neglegence and malice. I was one of 3 orthopedic surgeons who operated on her during the course of 5 surgeries here on the mainland. I did this because I once cared for her as a patient, was not permitted the due process to finish supervising her care, she sustained a complication and was in trouble and my honor commanded me to help her as best as I could – unfortunately from off island due to the bad administration of CHCC. If I am speaking out of turn then let’s just let Mrs. Teregeyo have her day in court and let a jury of you folks decide.
I would have done this for any person that was once under my care. A patient should never suffer because of something bad that happened to me personally. My responsibility does not stop just because of being off-island.
Mrs. Teregeyo had Infected dead bone removed, antibiotic impregnated beads placed and further intravenous antibiotics. She had a 75% chance of losing her leg to an amputation at the thigh which would have permanently confined her to a wheelchair.
Mrs. Teregeyo’s knee was destroyed. An artificial knee was replaced but this has a high chance of becoming reinfected in the future because of all of the metal and plastic and because some of the bugs can make cocoons in the pores of the metal and hide for years from the body’s immune system.
As a surgeon, I know that sometimes surgeries work and sometimes they don’t. The infection can come back even 10 years later. It isn’t we as doctors that saved her leg, it was the good Lord. It is His will alone who decides the outcome. Why did He decide to save Mrs. Teregeyo’s leg? I stand on His decision of what best to do for her and to answer any questions of her worthiness.
Why Las Vegas? The University Medical Center is one of the top 5 trauma centers in America. I have orthopedic surgical friends there. Mrs. Teregeyo’s daughter lived there so she could travel back and forth and hand feed her mom.
Drs. Cunningham and Araphiles did not have the resources to do this in Guam. In the Philipines I feel Mrs. Teregeyo would most certainly have lost this leg. Filipino orthopedics is held higher than the rest of the region’s level. This is unfortunate because Saipan is still part of the USA and CMS /Medicare, CHCC’s primary patient insurer, demands mainland standards. They pay the payments and get to make their own standards and rules. This is why there is no current CMS certification.
The Philipines are out there but this is still a developing nation with a lower standard of care as compared to United States residency trained doctors. Hawaii was an option but 1) the housing is higher 2) I did not know anyone there 3) as I said, Mrs. Teregeyo’s daughter was in Las Vegas to take care of her.
I do not begin to speak for Mrs. Teregeyo but I have gotten to know her professionally over the past 2 years. I doubt she is seeking monetary damage so much as public awareness of the problems at CHCC and the necessity of a management regeime change so more innocent people don’t get hurt.
I have knowledge that Attorney Dotts already has 5 guilty verdicts against CHCC and is unable to get a penny for the victims or their families in the instances of death.
I am certain Mrs. Teregeyo is aware of this so I doubt money could even be a possible outcome.
Whilest most everyone is in support of Mrs. Teregeyo’s goals here, I remain truly amazed at the few people and the mud they drag people through with their Disquis comments. It concerns me the level of evil that can come from the anonymity of someone’s home laptop. It appears that some of this gets written by CHCC administration people as they are the only ones with certain non-published information.
This lady is a fighter and one strong and courageous straight shooter and I know her to have the people of the CNMI in her heart first. We all have sins and tresspasses, “let the first person without sin cast the (next) first stone”.
Esther Muna needs to go and there needs to be oversight somewhere. Where this comes from is open to discussion but it needs to be done. This has been overlooked for too long. We read articles whilest good people are being hurt. No one is above the public’s interests. Heck, there are litterally hundreds of qualified administrator CEO’s out there. Why take the chance with the continued troubles of this one? We are all all all replaceable so why take the chance? Who has the oversight now and is diplomacy coming at too high a price?
It is a bad administrative policy to have an orthopedic surgeon come for one month and then leave. The operation is only one small piece of the process to a successful outcome. Who will look out for the orthopedic post operative care when the surgeon leaves? Why is everyone that cannot tolerate the low standards of working with Muna publicly discredited in the newspapers? I have not known that many unconscionable doctors and CFO’s as the stories that come out of CHCC and then make it to the newspapers suggest. How do we console the families of the 5 guilty verdicts that Attorney Dotts already has against CHCC? What does it take to force reason into the eyes of the nay sayers? I humbly once again call on the Honorable Governor to please please, for the love of God and the people, convene a review board and put a stop to this insanity!
Dr. I hold heartedly agree on most all of your statement, especially about Muna.
I am a Cancer survivor. I had to go to the Phil. for treatment on my own dime because I do not have the correct last name for referal.
I also lost a good orthopedic years agosurgeon that was unable to complete my care on my shoulders. He was in the NMI for many years (maybe the longest DR. to date)
I am also a disabled Vet but the care is not competent and much problems. Also as you know, much of many of us have other problems that are not considered “service connected” (but are) we pay for this.
I do disagree with on your generalization of the Dr. in the Phil.
Most are US and other places advanced trained such as Euro. trained along with continued updated training.
But it is very lucky for this lady with her present outcome. (even though she is no my favorite Politician)Thank you,
I am also sorry about the pitiful political circus that you and others have had to go through.
Unfortunate majority of our people do not have the realistill keep voting in the same old “failures” along with being able to be bought off with beer and a case of chicken.
ALL style mirrors the Phils.
Good on you for your service
Thank you and thank you for your service to our country Sir.