Government settles medical malpractice suit brought against Pine Ridge hospital
Woman suffered infection after uterus perforated in botched removal of fetuses
The federal government will pay $225,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by a woman who accused the Pine Ridge Indian Health Service Hospital and its staff of medical malpractice.
Thea McCauley and her partner, David Pourier, filed suit in 2024 over a botched procedure to remove twin fetuses from her uterus. The couple had originally sought $10 million in damages.
The incident brought additional scrutiny to the quality of care offered on Pine Ridge. Five years earlier, in 2017, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services had terminated payments as an acute care provider because the hospital was not in compliance.
Lawmakers demand report on welfare program spending, cash balances
South Dakota lawmakers reopened a familiar fight Monday: whether the state is sitting on too much federal welfare money while poor families live on low cash benefits.
