After deliberating for an hour and twenty minutes, a jury found Peoria, Ill.-based OSF HealthCare was not negligent in hiring neurosurgeon Denise Crute, MD, according to the Rockford Register Star.
Here are four things to know:
1. One of Dr. Crute's former patients sued OSF HealthCare for negligence. The patient argued OSF HealthCare did not properly vet Dr. Crute before hiring her.
2. The patient also claimed Dr. Crute operated on the wrong side of her body during a spine procedure in 2007. Three days after the surgery, the patient began to feel pain. However, the defense argued there was no proof Dr. Crute's surgery was the cause of pain and numbness.
3. A jury agreed, citing the patient's medical history. "We're satisfied with the verdict," said Jerrod Barenbaum, one of the health system's attorneys, according to the Rockford Register Star. "It's gratifying to have the credentialing process at [OSF] Saint Anthony [Medical Center in Rockford, Ill.] vindicated."
4. OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center hired Dr. Crute in 2007. In previous years, the neurosurgeon relinquished her license in Colorado after a slew of unprofessional and substandard conduct allegations. She went on to re-activate her license in Illinois.