Patients sue CAMC over hernia surgeries allegedly done without medical need.
A growing number of former patients at Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC) are now saying they were subjected to hernia surgeries they never needed—and in some cases, never even knew about. At the center of the claims are two doctors, no longer employed at the hospital, who are being accused of performing or authorizing these operations during bariatric procedures without medical justification or patient consent.
One woman, speaking anonymously, shared that she went to CAMC’s Weight Loss Center hoping to improve her health through a gastric sleeve procedure. As the surgery date neared, a new doctor took over her case and insisted on repairing a hernia she didn’t even know she had. She agreed, trusting what she was told. “That’s what you do when your doctor tells you something’s going on. You believe it,” she said. Her operation took place last November. It wasn’t until she received a letter from CAMC that she realized something wasn’t right. The letter admitted the hernia repair might not have been necessary. It also informed her she wouldn’t be charged for the extra surgery.
Her reaction was immediate: “More shock than anything, followed by immediate worry and concern.” She expressed that many people who seek weight loss surgery are vulnerable—physically and emotionally. For her, the betrayal runs deep. “We’re going in to heal our bodies and our minds, and this is a complete violation. He’s taken something from every single one of us.” What makes it worse is she now has surgical mesh in her body, something used in hernia repairs, despite not having a hernia. “There’s nothing to outweigh those risks. I just have risks now.”
The class action lawsuit filed against CAMC, Dr. Robert Shin, and Dr. Samuel Rossi alleges that patients were never informed or gave permission for the hernia procedures. Some say they only learned of the extra surgery through the hospital’s recent letter. Others never received verbal notice or documentation at all. Attorney Danté diTrapano, one of the lawyers representing the patients, said that nearly every bariatric surgery done by these doctors included a hiatal hernia repair with mesh. “At this point, we’ve looked at just dozens and dozens of them, and it’s the same language,” he explained. “Now we have probably 600 people we’re going to look at records for.”
According to diTrapano, there’s concern that both doctors may have received financial bonuses for each hernia surgery performed. He also claims the hospital benefited from billing for the added procedures and the use of mesh implants. The lawsuit, brought in partnership with Salango Law and Bailey and Glasser, stretches back over a decade and claims both medical negligence and vicarious liability. Records indicate that Shin and Rossi are no longer listed on the CAMC website and are believed to have been terminated.
Despite receiving the letter, patients like the anonymous woman say there’s no real resolution yet. The hospital has said it won’t charge for the unneeded hernia repairs, but that does little to erase the physical and emotional toll these surgeries may have caused. “I went in to make my life better,” she said, “and now I have something inside me that never should have been there.”
CAMC has declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation. Patients and attorneys are now turning to the courts to hold those involved accountable and seek compensation for the harm done. For many, it’s not just about the surgery—it’s about the violation of trust that may never fully heal.
Sources:
Patient says trust ‘shattered’ from unnecessary surgery at CAMC; now part of large lawsuit
CAMC doctors sued for unnecessary surgeries: Class action lawsuit
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