Stent Doctor Ready To Defend His Name In Court

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- An attorney for a former St. Joseph Medical Center cardiologist accused of performing unnecessary stent procedures believes he will be cleared.

Dr. Mark Midei's attorney spoke out Friday.

Gigi Barnett reports the doctor's long-awaited medical hearing is coming up.

After months of waiting, former St. Joseph cardiologist Dr. Mark Midei is getting his day in court. That comes on Tuesday, and Midei's attorney says he will be vindicated.

Midei faces an upcoming medical board hearing and hundreds of malpractice lawsuits involving alleged unnecessary stent surgeries.

 Steve Snyder, the attorney of the former St. Joseph cardiologist, fired back at a news conference Friday morning. Snyder says Midei's name will be cleared.

"You'll see that everything Dr. Midei did was pursuant to recognized standards. There will be no, and I emphasize no, evidence that he overestimated stents," Snyder said.

"I can promise every one of my patients that what I did was what I would want for myself, for anybody in my family, my mother, my father. They were treated appropriately and with the highest regard for their well-being," Midei said Oct. 21.

This comes after a U.S. Senate report released earlier this week claimed Midei had a close relationship with stent maker Abbott Labs.

The Senate report also found Midei used more stents than any other cardiologist in the Northeast.

Earlier this year, hundreds of Midei's patients received letters from St. Joseph Medical Center telling them they may have received unnecessary stent procedures.

"Unfortunately it was necessary for St. Joe to destroy Dr. Midei in the court of public opinion and the press in an effort to create an impression that the hospital had cleansed itself of a poorly performing  doctor," said Snyder.

According to the Senate report, Abbott paid nearly $2,000 toward lavish parties and crab feasts at Midei's home in Monkton. The parties were alleged to be a gesture of thanks for using the stents. Snyder says the parties are common practice among doctors.

"This is the way it is done. You use a product, you use it successfully. And, the product provider is pleased with the use of his product. That's the way it is done," said Snyder.

Midei's hearing next week will be closed to the public, which is not the way the doctor wanted it. Midei says an open forum gives him a better chance of convincing everyone that he did nothing wrong.

Midei's faces stiff charges from the state medical board. He could lose his license to practice if found guilty of performing unnecessary stent procedures.