ARTICLES

Sham Peer Review Actions

Hospital peer reviews are intended to evaluate the performance of physicians, nurses, and other staff to ensure that patients are receiving the standard of care that they deserve. Unfortunately, hospital management sometimes abuses the peer review process in order to protect the hospital’s own interests. When a review is abused in this way, it is known as a sham peer review.

If you have been the target of a sham peer review, you need an attorney that you can trust to defend you against wrongful accusations. Contact the Texas medical license defense lawyers of the Leichter Law Firm today by calling 512-495-9995.

Motives for Sham Peer Review

There are several different reasons that a hospital’s administration may pursue a sham peer review against a physician or nurse. Some common motives for wrongly accusing a staff member of poor performance or negligence include:

  • Retaliation: If a physician reports another doctor for improper procedures or blows the whistle on unethical or illegal activity within the hospital, he or she may become the subject of a sham peer review as punishment.
  • Business interests: A hospital may try to penalize a physician with a peer review if he or she does not agree to participate in the hospital’s business ventures.
  • Competition: A physician “threatens” a hospital’s interests by providing services that place the doctor in direct competition with the hospital or other staff.
  • Personal: A sham peer review is used to discriminate against a physician or nurse because of his or her beliefs, background, or relationship with other staff.


If you have been targeted for a hospital peer review and wrongly accused of negligence or under-performing in your work, you may be a victim of a sham peer review. Without an aggressive investigation and defense, you could find yourself facing significant penalties as a result of a negative peer review. Depending upon the severity of the accusation, your license to practice medicine or nursing could even be on the line.

Contact Us

Do not enter into a hospital peer review or board investigation feeling unprepared to defend your case. Contact the Texas license defense attorneys of the Leichter Law Firm today at 512-495-9995 to discuss how we can help you fight back against a sham peer review.

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