Article - May 21, 2008 - Lufkin Daily News

DaVita suspects four patient deaths caused by former employee

By Jessica Savage

A DaVita spokesman said the company suspects four patient deaths at its dialysis clinic in Lufkin to be caused by a former employee.

"We suspect an unusual cluster of four patient deaths in April," said Michael Chee in an interview Tuesday.

The cluster of patient deaths is not indicative of the number of patients who died in April, Chee said.

The company has said it fired an employee from its 700 South John Redditt Drive facility April 29, a day after closing its doors for an investigation into a recent spike in patient deaths by local, state and federal agencies.

A Lufkin police spokesman has said the department is investigating allegations made against one employee, which is a part of its ongoing investigation into the clinic.

Dr. David Van Wyck, a nephrologist who is vice president of clinical services for DaVita and working with state officials during the investigation of the Lufkin clinic, said on average two to three patients die a month at dialysis centers.

He said that they do not occur on a regular basis and patients on dialysis have a higher death rate than the general population. But in some ways, the doctor added, dialysis patient deaths tend to reflect the general population.

"What we noticed (at the Lufkin facility) was a pattern of deaths and health-related events and we think that those are attributable to the suspected actions of a single individual," he said.

DaVita and LPD would not release further information about the employee or investigation at the facility, saying the investigation is ongoing. No arrests have been made and no charges filed.

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