State accuses radiologist of overlooking brain aneurysm that killed 44-year-old patient
The Florida Department of Health is accusing a radiologist of overlooking a brain aneurysm on a CT scan, which eventually led to a 44-year-old patient’s death.
Authorities leveled the accusation in an administrative complaint filed last month against Mark A. McGehee, MD. The inciting incident occurred when the unnamed patient “DP” visited Jupiter Medical Center’s emergency department for a headache on June 25, 2021.
The individual underwent a CT of the brain and cervical spine, but McGehee purportedly interpreted it as showing no abnormalities. However, the images actually unearthed a right vertebral arterial aneurysm, which eventually led to DP’s death on July 10, 2021, according to the complaint.
“The prevailing professional standard of care required [McGehee] to identify an abnormality in the scans,” State Surgeon General Joseph A. Ladapo, MD, PhD, wrote, adding that state statutes subject the radiologist to potential discipline for the alleged mistake. Possible penalties could include revoking or suspending his license, placing restrictions on his practice, imposing an administrative fine or putting him on probation.
McGehee’s department of health profile lists a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, address and he has staff privileges at hospitals in Fort Meyers, Fort Walton Beach and Miami. He also is licensed to practice in Texas, Connecticut, Colorado, Kansas, Hawaii and Arizona.
DP left behind daughters ages 2 and 4 at the time of his death, the Miami Herald reported Monday. The patient’s brother previously filed suit against the radiologist, with the dispute settled earlier this year resulting in $160,000 payouts to each child.
McGehee—who earned his Connecticut license in 1989 and Florida’s in 2009—did not respond to the Herald’s requests for comment.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.