Alaska Surgeons’ Privileges Claims Stay in Federal Court

A lawsuit by two Alaska physicians alleging an Anchorage hospital unfairly stripped them of their medical staff privileges will remain in federal court.

Providence Health & Services-Washington is a citizen of Washington, and the physicians are Alaska residents, so the federal court had diversity jurisdiction in the case, the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska said Feb. 12.

William Curtis and Pedro Valdes are cardiothoracic surgeons who had privileges at a hospital owned and operated by PH&S-W. They alleged PH&S-W ended their privileges after it entered into an exclusive agreement with Starr-Wood Cardiac Group of Portland PC to ...