Urologist leaves UMC because of malpractice insurance

Thursday, June 13, 2002 | 9:13 a.m.

A Las Vegas urologist fed up with rising medical malpractice insurance costs has resigned from his on-call duties with University Medical Center's trauma unit and its other departments.

Dr. Joseph Candela, 35, said he will continue his private practice in Las Vegas but will no longer serve at UMC, where many patients are considered high risk from a liability standpoint. UMC spokesman Rick Plummer declined comment.

But Candela, who has practiced in Las Vegas for three years, said his liability insurance premiums have risen about 80 percent over the past year and that he no longer can afford to see the type of patients that come through the trauma center. Many such patients are indigent.

"What has happened is that in light of all the problems with malpractice insurance, the groups taking these calls have dropped off," Candela said.

With his resignation, Candela said UMC is left with only two urologists on call. But he said he has heard it is possible that UMC will require all other urologists who have hospital privileges to be available on call if they wish to retain the ability to work there.

"There's no reason we have to work at UMC," Candela said. "We can take our business elsewhere. The problem with that is that if you shatter a kidney in a car accident and are taken to UMC, you will no longer have a specialist in that surgery taking care of you."

UMC has the state's only level one trauma unit, a facility that treats victims of serious motor vehicle crashes or other blunt injuries. Hospital officials have said that the unit, which has already lost some of its other surgeons and specialists because of the medical liability dilemma, will remain open at least through the end of the month. But they are not making any promises beyond that.

Candela, like most area physicians, would like Nevada to adopt a California law that includes a $250,000 cap on non-economic damages, which covers pain and suffering. Lawyers, however, say such caps are unfair to patients and are resisting such change in Nevada.