Iowa Hospital Wins Defamation Suit Over Medical Board Reports

An Iowa doctor lost a defamation suit against his former employer because statements about his allegedly suspicious prescription practices were opinions and not actionable, the state’s top court said Friday.

An outside consultant’s report to the Iowa Medical Board reciting undisputed facts about Mark Andrew’s opioid prescribing practices raised concerns for the board to investigate, used cautionary language, and didn’t imply provably false matters, the Iowa Supreme Court said.

A pharmacist contacted Hamilton County Public Hospital with concerns about the amount of opioids Andrew prescribed to one of his patients. The hospital investigated and ultimately ended Andrew’s employment contract for ...