A lawsuit filed March 15, 2018 in Anchorage Superior Court alleges that neurosurgeon Louis Kralick, MD, photographed the genitalia of a patient undergoing spine surgery at Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage. Dr. Kralick signed a letter of apology, KTVA reports.
Here are six things to know.
1. The lawsuit names Dr. Kralick and Providence as defendants.
2. On Dec. 8, 2017, Dr. Kralick was conducting spine surgery on a male patient when he pulled up the draping covering the patient's genitalia and used his iPhone to take "one or more" photos while the patient was under anesthesia, according to the complaint.
3. The complaint alleges that Dr. Kralick sent the photographs to his wife or another third party without valid medical justification. A Providence compliance officer referred to in the suit as "John Doe" learned of the incident and instructed Dr. Kralick to delete the photos.
4. Providence personnel contacted Anchorage Police Department to report Dr. Kralick's activity, and APD conducted an investigation in which the operating room staff cooperated while Dr. Kralick refused to give a statement to the police or participate in an interview. APD seized Dr. Kralick's phone but was unable to access the device without the password, the complaint alleges.
5. Dr. Kralick sent a letter of apology to the patient's home on Jan. 5. "While I did not intend my actions to be disrespectful," the letter reads, "I can understand why some members of the operating room staff might have thought otherwise, and as a result I sincerely apologize."
6. Dr. Kralick remained on staff after the incident. At the time of this reporting, Dr. Kralick has staff privileges at HCA Alaska Regional and Providence.
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